Fun games and activities are a proven method for ensuring that players learn and pay the most attention to a task. Repetitious drills at will turn the players off the game, especially if they are inactive for long periods of time. There are many games and drills which can be utilised to teach valuable skills while the players are having fun. Games and certain training activities can be very anaerobic and hard work, so players will need frequent stops to rest and recover - use these rest periods to make coaching points. By using the following methods you can ensure that the learning process continues whilst the players continue to have fun.

During the game, take individual players aside for a few seconds to give them specific and individual feedback. The remainder of the players continue playing and having fun and learning as they continue playing.

Freeze the game to highlight important coaching points or to correct a mistake. It is important that the players stop in exactly the same positions as they were in, otherwise your coaching point will be inaccurate. One way is to ensure that the players understand what "STOP, STAND STILL" means. It is important that the coach is strong with this. The very nature of players will result in them continuing for a few more meters or drifting away from the position they were in, one way of overcoming this is to get them to "REWIND" a few meters, back to where they were. The coach can also ask the players where exactly they were when the game was frozen. It is import that the coach freezes the game and the players are in the same position as when the game was stopped, in order to make the coaching point that relates to all the players and the aspect of the game that relates to that particular coaching point. After stopping play, the coach should

1. Explain the coaching point.
2. Demonstrate the coaching point - either by demonstrating the skill themselves, or getting one of the other, better players to demonstrate.
3. Finally allow the player to imitate - do it themselves - what they have had explained and seen demonstrated. Once the player has successfully imitated the skill, progress immediately into the game from that point. One important point, particularly for young players, is to walk through the demonstration slowly, so they fully understand.

This explain, demonstrate and imitate coaching method - E.D.I - ensures that players 'see' exactly what you are saying! Remember 'one picture paints a thousand words.

Use scoring and time keeping to add to the excitement! For example 2 minutes left, who is going to score the winning goal

Play a series of mini games, within a big game. For example, the first game is a maximum of 3 touches for all players and first team to score 2 goals wins. The second game is that a team must complete 5 passes before they can shoot, 2 goals wins

Make the game more exciting by issuing challenges to the players. For example - "the losing team have to collect all the equipment after the session". The losing team have to complete a forfeit, perhaps a series of shuttle runs.