The floor is lava

WHY USE IT

This fun game introduces young players to the ABCs (agility, balance, coordination, speed) and encourages teamwork and communication, as well as basic passing skills.

 

Set-up

Set up an area relative to the age and ability of your players, with a mini-goal (‘volcano’) on each side and ‘safe zones’ (‘puddles’) marked out by cones or flat markers. Divide players into several small teams.

 

HOW TO DO IT

Each team aims to get a ball (‘boulder’) from one end of the area to the other and score in one of the four volcanoes, to ‘block it’ and stop the lava flowing. The ball can be in their hands or on the floor.

 

Players can only touch the floor when in a safe zone. They can pick the ball up and jump between safe zones, or they can pass the ball. The first team to score in each goal – or block each volcano - wins.

 

PROGRESSIONS

Remove some of the ‘safe zones’ and place single cones/flat markers around. These will allow players to land on them when travelling between ‘safe zones’ and encourage greater movement.

 

If passing the ball in hands, the receiving player must control the ball before catching it (e.g. with foot/thigh/chest/head). 

 

Coaches can also add multiple balls per team, or allow teams to intercept other teams’ balls.

 

COACHING POINTS

• Encourage players to find space/free ‘safe’ zones to move into to progress the ball towards the target goal.
• Players need to communicate to know which goal their team is aiming for.
• If players are passing the ball, encourage good passing technique with the instep – although as players progress, they can experiment with using different parts of their feet to move the ball.