U8 training

Fall and spring training

Always bring cleats, shin guards, ball, and water

Put your name on the ball
Size 4 is the best size for U8 players

A gray or white shirt makes it easier to form teams using our colored vests
At-home ball work strongly encouraged on non-practice days
Dodds Park, north end (where the tiny goals are)
Mondays and Wednesdays, 5:30 to 6:30
Spring starting date: Monday, March 31 (but you can start any time)
Ending date: TBD

Training objectives

Have a great time
Dribble with the head up
Use different surfaces of the foot to dribble
Change speed and direction
Pass with good technique
Receive with a good first touch
Use different parts of the body to receive the ball
Shoot with good technique
Communicate with teammates on the field
Have a great time

What about tactics? See the Q & A page.

Practice Cancellation

(for fall and spring training)
The Champaign Park District controls the fields on which we practice. To protect the turf, the park district may close the fields due to rain or even very wet fields (from previous rain). We almost always know about such closures by 4:00 in the afternoon, and we put a message on the main club web site. I also try to to put a message on the team web site and send out a team e-mail.

In addition to wet fields, lightning (with or without rain) can make us cancel or end practice. Dodds Park has a lightning alarm that goes off when the danger of lightning is high, whether or not lightning has been sighted. When that alarm sounds, we have to be off the fields for at least 30 minutes. We can't return to the fields until the warning system allows us back on, which usually is more than 30 minutes from the initial alarm. We will gather the players under the concession stand roof until they get picked up.

In late fall and early spring, cold weather could cause us to cancel practice, but that is unlikely. We just bundle up and play.

Uniforms

U8 players need only the club practice shirts. If your player wants to feel a little more official, you can also buy the official blue shorts and blue socks, but these are not required of the U8s.

Uniform orders were due at Soccer Country (355-8326) by July 18. After that date, the bulk purchase/early order discount goes away.

You can choose any number you want, or no number at all.

Competition

3v3 or 4v4 games to end most practices
Scrimmages against LISC U9 boys and U9 girls on occasion

Coaching

Joseph Seeley
joseph.t.seeley@gmail.com
Phone: 359.9644h ~ 403.7563w ~ 714.9283c (for weekend use mostly)

Jon Foreman

We may tap into our parent pool as well. I know we have some parents with soccer backgrounds, but more important is a willingness to tie shoes and pump up balls and steer kids in the right direction both physically and behaviorally ("the orange team is over there now" and "we need to leave these cones where they are").

liscU8

BasicInfo