Speed of Play Warm-up
Numbered groups weave through one shared grid passing in order — 1 to 2 to 3 — while the rounds strip away touches, then words, until only pointing and eye contact remain.
Speed of play is thinking a step ahead — always knowing who the ball comes from and where it goes next — and every round here removes something to lean on until only that thinking is left.
Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive
- Grab: Cones, a different color of pinnies for each group, and balls.
- Build: Build a 30-by-40 grid.
- Place: Even groups of six, each in its own color and numbered 1 through 6, spread out inside the grid randomly and intermingled — the ball starts with players 1 and 4.
Show me the setup picture
One thing to remember: Speed of play — thinking a step ahead, knowing who the ball is coming from and going to at all times, proper passing and receiving, and movement without the ball into triangular shapes.
How it runs — the whole game in one sentence
Each group passes in number order through the shared grid — 6 back around to 1 — and round by round you cut touches, then words, until only pointing and eye contact carry it.
1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Divide the team into even groups of six, each group in a different color, and number every group's players 1 through 6. Spread everyone through the grid randomly and intermingled — the ball starts with players 1 and 4.
Coach says
Know your number and know your color. You're mixed in with everybody — that's the point.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk the first pattern — on receiving the ball, pass to the next highest number in your group, 1 to 2, 2 to 3, 3 to 4, with 6 playing back around to 1 so the warm-up continues. Work each step for 5 to 7 minutes — more or less depending on the players — and don't worry if the group can't reach every round today.
Coach says
Find your next number before the ball finds you. Six — it comes back around to one.
3Play▾
Coach does
Run the patterns in rounds — first in order, then reversed with 6 playing to 5 and 5 to 4, then odd numbers passing to odd and even to even, 1 to 3 to 5 and 2 to 4 to 6. Coach players to think a step ahead — knowing at all times who the ball is coming from and who it is going to — with proper passing and receiving, and constant movement without the ball as they work into triangular shapes.
Coach says
Next number, find them early! New round — pattern flips: six finds five!
Look for: The head start — players moving toward their next pass before the ball arrives, because they know both their passer and their target.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Keep the progression squeezing — decrease the number of touches to demand a quicker thought process, then limit talk to a single word, a player calling "TWO" to ask for the ball, and finally no words at all — hand clapping, pointing, eye contact.
Coach says
Fewer touches this round! Next round, one word each. After that — silence: clap, point, look.
If it's not working
If the pattern keeps breaking, freeze it and ask one player — who does the ball come from, and where does it go? Let them answer, then restart the round.
Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.
Why are we doing this?
What are they learning?
How can I change it?
Easier: Spend more time on a step before moving on — and don't expect every group to reach the final rounds.