RAPRD Soccer Fall 2016 Grades:Pre-K – 4th/ 5th & 6th

We thank all of you who have volunteered to coach and look forward to working with you this season. This handout will answer many of your questions; others can be directed to the Youth Sports office at 526-1847.

Team size and game info.

Pre-K: Games consist of two 15 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime. Games are 3v3 with no goalkeeper. Off sides are NOT called, all kicks are indirect and balls that go out of the sidelines are thrown in. Players may redo throws if done incorrectly. Parents or coaches officiate on the field. Size 3 ball and shin guards are required under socks to play. Games must start and end on scheduled time. If game starts late they must still finish in the designated game time.

Kinder: Games consist of two 15 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime. Games are 4v4 with no goalkeeper. Off sides are NOT called, all kicks are indirect and balls that go out of the sidelines are thrown in. Players may redo throws if done incorrectly. Parents or coaches officiate on the field. Size 3 ball and shin guards are required under socks to play. Games must start and end on scheduled time. If game starts late they must still finish in the designated game time.

1/2nd grade: Games consist of two 20 minute halves with a 5 minute halftime. Games are 6v6 with one designated as goalkeeper. Off sides are NOT called, all kicks are indirect with no penalty kicks and balls that go out of the sidelines are thrown in. Players may redo throws if done incorrectly. Parents or coaches officiate. Size 4 ball and shin guards are required under socks to play. Games must start and end on scheduled time. If game starts late they must still finish in the designated game time.

3/4th grade: Games consist of two 25 minutes halves with 5 minute halftime. Games are 6v6 with one designated as goalkeeper. Off sides ARE called at this level. Indirect, direct, and penalty kicks are allowed. Referees are provided. Yellow and Red cards can be issued. Games must start and end on scheduled time. If game starts late they must still finish in the designated game time. Size 4 ball and shin guards are required under socks to play.

5/6th grade: Games will be held at American Legion Field. Games are 9v9 with one designated as Goalkeeper. Games consist of two 30 min halves with a 5 minute half time. Off Sides ARE called at this level. Indirect, direct, and penalty kicks are allowed. Referees are provided. Yellow and Red cards can be issued. Games must start and end on scheduled time. If game starts late they must still finish in the designated game time. Size 4 ball and shin guards are required under the socks to play.

Game Location: All PreK-4th grade games will be played at the High Desert Sports Complex. 5/6th grade games are located at American Legion Soccer field. Please see game schedule for more details on our website www.raprd.org under recreation tab.

Substitutions/Rotation: The games are played with a running clock. All rotations or substitutions made during game play does not stop the clock. Unlimited substitutions are allowed. Substitutions are allowed by possession on throw-ins, goalie kicks, kick-offs, and halftime breaks.

Injuries: If a player is hurt, and requires the game to be stopped, they must leave the field of play for a period of time to recover. If a substitute is available they may enter the game, if no Sub is available, it is up to the opposing coach if they want to remove a player from the field to balance the numbers.

Practice: Practice times and days are up to the coach. We recommend an hour per practice; no more than three times a week, including games. You can do less, but we ask that you not exceed this. Pre K is recommended once a week for no more than 45 minutes. Please have a parent/ player meeting at the first practice to meet the parents and go over all rules and expectations for your team. Go over the transportation policy that children have to picked up by someone who is listed on their registrations form. As a coach please watch this very carefully. We encourage you to have each child bring their own ball for practices; please remind them of this when you call.

Location: You may practice on any grass located on school property, city parks, or at the High Desert Sports Complex. ALL FIELDS MUST BE RESERVED FOR PRACTICES AT THE COACHES CLINIC. ANY CHANGES MUST BE CONFIRMED WITH JULANE PRICE at 526-1847 PRIOR TO PRACTICING. Please remember that softball fields are not available for use. It is the coach’s responsibility to clean up the fields after practice!

Pictures: Individual and team photos are not included in the cost of the program. Picture day is scheduled by Smoke Photography. Location: TBD Schedules will be handed out with Jerseys. Please do not allow private photographers to photograph your players. Smoke photography is the only photographers that we have contracted with. Parents and families are welcome to photograph their own children but not to solicit the sale of photos.

Soccer Rules & Tips Grades: Pre-K – 4th/5th & 6th Adapted from FIFA Laws of the Game 1998

Field of Play:

Preschool: Field Size: 75’ x 60’ 3v3 Kindergarten: Field Size: 75’ x 60’ 4v4 1st & 2nd grade: Field Size: 150’ x 80’ 6v6 3rd & 4th grade: Field Size: 175’ x 100’ 6v6 5th & 6th grade: Field Size: 280’x135’ 9v9

Players Equipment:

RAPRD will provide each participant with a soccer jersey(shirt). Cleats are not required but are recommended. Shin guards are required and to be worn under socks. If cleats are used they can not have a toe cleat. Shirts must be tucked in. Players may not wear anything dangerous to themselves or anyone else. This includes ALL jewelry, bracelets, rings, nose studs, earrings, watches, etc. Taping over stud earrings only is allowed. No casts or splints unless covered by ½ inch of padding and a permission slip signed by their physician. Metal or other no-yielding parts of braces also must be padded. No baseball caps.

Referees: Referees will be provided for 3rd grade and up.

They will enforce all the rules; keep track of time; stops play if player is injured; punishes the more serious offense if a player commits more than one at the same time; checks the ball and field; takes disciplinary action against players and team officials; makes reports to the appropriate authorities about disciplinary actions and other incidents.

Facility Supervisor:

There will be a RAPRD employee at every game. They are there to monitor everything and answer any questions. Please find him/her if any problems arise. Start and Restart of Play Kickoffs, free kicks, kicks and corner kicks are similar in that opponents must be 10 yards away from the ball and ball is in play when it moves. Kicker cannot play it a second time until someone else touches it.

Kickoff: At start of game, halftime, after goals. Team that loses coin flip kicks first. (Other team gets to choose end to defend first.) Teams on their side of midfield. Goal may be scored directly. Ball must move forward. First Penalty :Rekick the ball. Second Penalty: Loss of possession of the ball, indirect kick.

Free kick: Indirect kicks cannot score a goal. If within 10 yards of the defensive team’s goal, defense can stand on goal line. If infraction occurs inside goal area, ball is brought straight out to six-yard line. Direct kicks can score goals.

Corner kick: Goal can be scored directly. Taken from corner arc. This occurs when defense kicks ball over their own end line.

Direct Kick: Straight into the goal without having to anyone- straight shot.

Indirect Kick: The ball has to touch another player .

Goal kick: Taken from goal (corner of the goal box for 1st grade and up)by defending team. Ball must clear penalty area before anyone else may play it. First Penalty: Re kick it either side touches ball- must clear box. Second Penalty: If touched by offense, then an indirect kick for defense. If touched by defense, then a direct kick for offense. Drop Ball: For other stoppages, such as injuries, deflated ball. Where ball was when play stopped. Play restarts when ball hits ground.

Ball In and Out of Play: It’s out when entirely outside the touchline or goal line on the ground or in the air. It’s out of play when the referee has stopped the game. It’s IN when it rebounds from a goalpost, crossbar, corner flag, assistant ref or referee on the field of play.

Offside: (3rd grade and Up) Offensive player must be in opponent’s half of field, in front of the ball, behind the next-to- last defender when the ball is played to him/her by a teammate and he/she is interfering with play, interfering with an opponent, or gaining an advantage. NO offside on a , a throw-in, or a . Fouls and Misconduct: Always results in a free kick, unless some other restart takes precedent.

Direct kick fouls: Unfair physical contact with an opponent or the ball. Unfair charge, pushing, holding, tripping, striking, attempting to kick or strike; handling the ball unless by a goalkeeper inside his /her penalty area. If defensive team commits a direct kick foul in own penalty area, it’s a penalty kick.

Indirect kick fouls: Offside, dangerous play, obstruction, cautions. Goalie infractions: wastes time, takes more than four steps when in control of the ball, no back-pass rule, parrying rule (second touch).

Obstruction: “Impeding the Progress of an Opponent". Generally, a player cannot use his body to impede another players movements, even if it is not deliberate. This can be called if a player is not within "playing distance" of the ball (i.e., 3 feet) and blocks an opponent's movement or screens an opponent from the ball. However, if a player is within playing distance & able to play the ball (meaning not laying on the ground), the player can legally screen an opponent from the ball. (You usually see this when a ball is going out of bounds & the player whose team will get the throw-in screens the opponent so the opponent can't save the ball). Impeding the progress of an opponent used to be called "obstruction". The rule also applies to "innocently" impeding the goalkeeper by standing in front of him when he has the ball.

Ejection/Cards issued:

Yellow and Red Cards can and will be issued for serious offenses such as, Over aggressive play, Slide Tackles, Handling the ball to prevent a goal. Player may be ejected for: 1) Second caution (2nd Yellow Card); 2) Serious foul play (Red Card); 3) Violent conduct (Red Card); 4) Uses offensive, insulting or abusive language. Serious foul play includes slide tackling from behind (making physical contact regardless of whether ball was touched or not.) Call dangerous play if NO contact is made with ball or player.

Slide Tackling: Regarded in our league as a foul. Indirect and Direct kicks based on position of field. – First Offense: Yellow Card – Second Offense: Yellow Card – Third Offense: Red Card

Penalty Kicks (3rd grade & up): Taken from penalty spot. Keeper can move on goal line laterally until ball is struck. Kicker may not touch a second time until touched by another player. All players, other than kicker and keeper, must be behind the penalty spot, outside penalty area and outside arc. Re-kick if: defense encroaches and no goal, both teams encroach, offense encroaches and a goal is scored. Indirect kick for second touch by kicker.

Throw-In: Two hands on ball, apply equal strength, part of both feet on ground at release, feet must be on or outside the touchline. Ball is delivered from behind and over head, thrower facing the field. Ball is in play when it crosses the plane of the outside edge of the touchline. Ball is thrown from spot where it went out. Penalty 3rd grade and up: Throw-in by other team. Goal cannot be scored directly. Ball cannot be thrown and picked up by the throwing team’s goalie but the goalie can use their feet. Ball cannot be played again by thrower until another player has touched it.

Some warm-up and practice ideas

Body Part Dribble (3-5 minutes) Each player has a ball in a grid, and dribbles it around with his/her feet. After 20 seconds or so, the coach calls out a part of their body i.e. ‘hand’ and the players have to stop their ball with their hand as quickly as possible. Play a few times, having fun using ideas such as ‘ear’, ‘nose’, ‘elbow’, or ‘knee’. Then advance the game where coach instead of calling a body part out, simply points to it on their body. The kids are therefore taught in a fun way to look up each time they touch the ball. Coach can move around when kids get used to looking up. Challenge kids to dribble faster! Red Light Green Light (3-5 minutes) When you (the coach) calls ‘green light’ the kids make the sound of a car revving up and move forward. When you call ‘red light’ they must stop (making the noise of screeching brakes) keeping their ball under the control. Add yellow light that means walking! If coach calls red light twice in a row, watch all kids move – joke about them crashing! Coach can introduce moving up gears to move Blob / Link Tag (3-5 minutes) Coach is it, all the players have a ball in a grid. If the coach tags someone’s ball (usually get the best dribbler first to allow the weaker kids to get more touches), that players ball is knocked out of the grid and then the two link arms (or hold hands) and try to tag somebody else’s ball. Game continues. Instead of having 6 people linked, the blob can mutate to 2 blobs of 3. Can play again! Magic Goals! (3-5 minutes) Each player starts in area with a ball. The coach and assistant hold up one end each of a bright t-shirt twisted up and ask the kids what it looks like. Hopefully one of the parents will call it a goal and then play with them having to kick their ball through the goal. They cannot run through/under the goal otherwise they lose a point. The goal can then walk around the area! Everybody’s it! (3 minutes) Every player starts with a ball in a grid. On command they can hunt each other down and if they can touch their ball against somebody else’s then they score a point. This teaches them to be creative, fake to get a view of someone’s ball or in turn shield their own ball from attack! Crab Soccer (3-5 minutes) Divide the kids into 2 teams of 3-4 players. Set up a grid with a goal at one end. Have one team (each with a ball) stand on the opposite end line from the goal and get them to dribble around the other team (down on hands and feet like crabs with bottoms off the floor). If player scores, have them pick ball up run back to start line and try again. Switch teams after 1-2 minutes. Each team will score a lot (thus having fun and success) so you can call it a tie! Everybody Tag! (3 minutes) Every player starts with a ball on a small field. On command they can dribble towards each other and if they can lightly tag someone else’s arm then they score a point. This teaches them to be creative, fake, turn with their ball, shield and get their head up. Coaches can play and be tagged easily to help all kids be successful and have fun!

Keep away from coach! (3 minutes) Show players how to turn with the ball (as simple as turning in a tight small circle maneuvering the ball with the inside of the right foot) keeping the ball close to their feet. Coach jogs around and says they will try and tag kids balls (but don’t really)! Concentrate on having kids keeping the ball close to their feet but turning away from the coach (getting their body in between opponent and ball as soon as possible).

Fun Shielding Game using hands (3-5 minutes) Introduce the concept of shielding the ball using hands first (younger players will comprehend this infinitely quicker as they are more dexterous with their hands than feet). Each player has a partner with one ball between them. (The Coach should give a good picture to start so they do not go straight down and bang heads). One player tries to keep the ball away from coach. The only rules are that the ball has to remain on the ground and that you can only maneuver it with one hand at a time. If partner (coach) touches the ball with his/her hand possession changes! When coach wins ball, demonstrate that you don’t have to run away, just simply place your body frame between the ball and the opponent. Secondly, tell players not to travel – can stay in one spot and still retain possession. Third, get shielder to keep hip pointing to partner. Fourth, give everyone a ball in the rectangle and if coach (without ball) approaches them they are to turn away to shield. Coach can introduce inside and outside of foot turns this way.

Minefield (5 minutes) Put all the cones randomly on the field (half right way up and half upside down). Coach and assistant coach make two teams and join one each. Appoint one team to search out the cones that are right way up and flip them upside down while the other team is doing the opposite. Play for 30 seconds then yell stop and see which team wins! Losing team gets a fun silly exercise, i.e. do a donkey impression. You can also ask your players what their favorite games are and often can convert them into fun soccer games. Have fun!