Before a five-year-old can pass or shoot, they need to stop the ball. Stopping is harder than it looks. The sole of the foot is the brake.
What you need: 1 soccer ball. Open grass.
Setup: Adult and child 8 feet apart. Adult has the ball.
How to run it:
- Adult rolls the ball slowly toward the child.
- Child watches the ball come toward them.
- Child steps forward and presses the sole of their foot down on top of the ball.
- Ball stops. They pause for 1 second.
- Adult rolls the next one.
- Do 10 rolls.
What to watch: Does the ball stop cleanly under their foot? Or does it squirt away to the side? Clean stops mean control.
If they’re struggling: Roll slower. Move closer to 5 feet.
If they’ve got it: Roll from different angles. Not straight at them. Slightly to the side.