Bayern’s under-23’s having some fun during training. The server releases (throws) the ball to the receiver. Once the ball leaves the servers hands he says ‘head’ or ‘hands’. The receiver has to do the opposite. If the server says ‘head’, the receiver must catch the ball. If he says ‘hands’, the receiver must head the ball back to the server. Try this with your team. It’s great for any age-group. They will love it. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsHs5jwglDk

I often get the question: ‘how can I make my players less afraid of contact in the game.’ Like most things in the game, you can’t just ‘tell’ players what they have to do. They have to be ‘trained’ to do it….over and over and over in order to make them more comfortable. This is probably the easiest way to get young players more confident when challenging for the ball and I’ve seen it done at a number of top clubs. The players stand side-by-side. At the trainers signal the players go shoulder to shoulder. These players are u14 so there is a bit more force involved, which is appropriate. For younger players (u8/9/10) the more important thing is that they line up shoulder to shoulder and make contact in the right place and not so much how hard they are hitting each other. Progression: I saw a version of this done at Ajax’s academy that included a ball positioned about 10 yards in front of the players. At the trainers signal the players go shoulder to shoulder then race to the ball. First player to the ball gets a point. Another variation this exercise is to have the players go chest to chest. If you like this video please like and subscribe. I have been fortunate to visit some of Europe's best academies and I want to pass on as much of what I have seen as I can. I hope some of it can help you and your team. I try to add videos from European academies every day so please like, subscribe and hit that bell so you will know when new videos go up. On the playlist page all the videos are organized by age group and training topic so you can more easily find ideas for your sessions. Please take advantage of my instagram account (@YPTusa) where you will find 1-minute edits of the videos separated by training topics and age groups in the highlights section that you can use for quick reference for ideas for your sessions. Even more content on my website: www.YPTusa.com and all social media @YPTusa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | Snapchat | LinkedIn. If I can be of any assistance to you, your team or organization please do not hesitate to let me know: John@YPTusa.com. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AESbFyiBtv4

This 1v1 cage I found at Red Bull's Salzburg academy in Austria a few years back. Like if you want one! If you like this video please like and subscribe. New training videos every day from European academies. I have been lucky to visit some of Europe's best academies and I want to pass on as much of what I have seen as I can. I hope some of it can help you and your team. I try to add videos every day so please like, subscribe and hit that bell so you will know when new videos go up. Please take advantage of my instagram account (@YPTusa) where you will find 1-minute edits of the videos separated by training topics in the highlights section that you can use for quick reference for ideas for your sessions. Even more content on my website: www.YPTusa.com and all social media @YPTusa: Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | TikTok | Snapchat | LinkedIn. If I can be of any assistance to you, your team or organization please do not hesitate to let me know: John@YPTusa.com. ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8f244PfXATk

... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhM4JdqkHqc