Silent Soccer, U8, U10, U12, U14

by Sarah
(USA Seattle, Washington)

I made this up myself! :)

The players form a large circle with big gaps. To make sure the gaps are the right size, players should spread out their arms until their hand touches the other players to the right and left of them. This would mean players in the circle would be about 6-8 feet away from each other.

In the middle of the circle, there will be only one player, the Attacker. The Attacker should have a limited amount of space to move around in, such as a cone or separate circle.

The circle players pass the ball to other players while not saying a word. No one, not even the Attacker, may make a sound. Everyone makes eye contact with the Ball Source, which is the player in possession of the ball. The Ball Source, or BS, will make eye contact with another player. The BS will nod to let the Receiver, or player who is about to "receive" the ball, that the ball is coming to him or her. The Receiver will nod in return, to let the BS know that he or she understands and is ready. The BS will then pass the ball to the Receiver. The Receiver will then stop the ball, and become the new Ball Source.

This process is then repeated with a different player.

However, if the soccer ball passes through the Attacker's area, the Attacker may "attack "and stop the ball. The Attacker runs with the ball and attempts to kick the ball into the net. The BS and Receiver may help him or her. Then, all of the players except one will try to kick the ball away, back to the Jailer, or the one person that stayed in the circle. After doing that, everyone heads back into their people circle. If this exact process happens again, the circle players, except for the Attacker, BS, and Receiver, will win the game. However, if the Attacker, BS, and Receiver make the ball into the net two times, they win the game.

No one may talk or make a sound. This includes whispering, singing, giggling, whining, snorting, etc.

This game improves teamwork, social skills, patience, obeying, passing, scoring, and plus, its fun! :)