Training Menu
Mini 1uppers
Training Menu
Training Menu
All sessions are carefully designed by 1UP’s Director of Player Development and current pro Niko Myroniuk, alongside Grassroots coordinator Anthony Garmory. Anthony has over 8 years of experience coaching early years soccer in the United Kingdom, where he developed players from as young as 18 months. These sessions are tailor made to ensure engagement and fun for all our Mini 1uppers.
We are really excited to have parent and player sessions for our Mini Beginners, 18 months to 2 years old. It is mandatory for parents to join in alongside their mini baller, so please arrive in suitable clothing.
We then move into our Next Level Minis, 2.5 to 3 years old, where there is more independent learning, but it is still mandatory for parents to remain at the sessions.
Our Mini 1uppers program is carefully designed to provide a safe, inviting and stimulating environment for young children aged 18 months to 3.5 years. Every session encourages early enthusiasm for movement and sport while introducing the foundations of physical literacy and age appropriate soccer skills.
We focus on learning through play, exploration and guided discovery. Our coaches create sessions where children build confidence, independence, social skills and a positive relationship with being active.
Eight weeks, one topic a week. Every topic is set out in full further down.
Our Mini 1uppers sessions are built around four core principles.
We introduce children to a wide range of fundamental movement skills:
These skills support lifelong physical activity and form the base for all future sport specific development.
Children explore movement with and without the ball, building comfort and curiosity:
This blended structure helps players feel confident before formal technique is introduced.
We intentionally build the ABCs of physical literacy: agility, balance, coordination and speed, in fun, playful bursts. That is paired with:
Each session follows a predictable, age appropriate flow to help young players feel comfortable and engaged. We have an idea of timings, but Mini 1uppers sessions are led by how engaged the players are. We may spend longer or shorter on an activity depending on that.
Playful, open movement stations with soft balls, cones, hoops and mini goals. Encourages independence and warm up exploration.
Animal movements such as bear walk, crab shuffle and frog jumps. Colour and shape movement games. Balance paths or obstacle courses. Freeze and go, traffic lights, red, green and blue challenges.
Focus: building coordination, balance, agility, rhythm and body control.
Dribble to colours. Wake the ball and put the ball to sleep, soft touches against stopping the ball. Roll, chase and catch. Tap, tap, stop games. Balloon football for confidence and fun.
Focus: comfort with the ball, cause and effect, a gentle introduction to technique.
Treasure hunt dribbling. Pirate ship movement adventure. Animal race with the ball. Follow the leader football. Target kicking to big, friendly goals.
Focus: imagination, decision making, fun competition, confidence building.
Small sided, non competitive play, encouraging teamwork, sharing and understanding space. Coaches support and celebrate all efforts.
High fives, stickers and a team cheer. Gentle movement to finish, reinforcing positive habits: we try our best, we listen, we have fun.
Across the season, Mini 1uppers develop:
Our coaches use:
We aim to ensure every Mini 1upper feels successful, supported and excited to return each week.
Every topic below has an objective, the key things your player will do, and the skills it builds.
Become a superhero of the ball.
Objective: build comfort with the ball through fun, imaginative touches.
Focus skills: balance, coordination, spatial awareness, ball familiarity.
Move like animals.
Objective: explore fundamental movement skills through playful animal actions.
Focus skills: agility, rhythm, whole body strength, body control.
Protect your treasure.
Objective: introduce simple concepts of shielding and body positioning.
Focus skills: stability, awareness, early defensive movement.
Football adventures through imagination.
Objective: encourage creativity, play and confidence through themed story games.
Focus skills: confidence, teamwork, decision making.
Move fast, move slow, explore speed.
Objective: develop early acceleration, deceleration and reactions.
Focus skills: reaction, agility, controlled speed, turning technique.
Save the day.
Objective: introduce defensive transition using playful rescue scenarios.
Focus skills: stopping safely, anticipation, balance.
Score like a superstar.
Objective: introduce simple finishing in fun, pressure free ways.
Focus skills: foot to eye coordination, balance over the ball, confidence.
Kick, tap and jump like heroes.
Objective: explore safe, playful striking with balloons and soft balls.
Focus skills: timing, jumping and landing technique, hand to eye coordination.
1UP Soccer · Calgary · admin@1upsoccer.com