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Gladiator

This game is one of my “back pocket” games. It’s simple, competitive, suitable for all ages, any number of players and it teaches good defending and ball control skills.

Age group: U5s to U11s.

Set up: Create a playing area big enough for all your players to dribble around in.

Every player has a ball except one – the Gladiator.

How to play: Players dribble their ball and try to protect it from the Gladiator who tries to kick the other players’ balls out of the playing area.

Players who have their ball kicked out – or allow their ball to leave the playing area – become Gladiators.

The winner is the last player still dribbling.

Progressions

Ask your players to dribble with their “wrong” foot only.

Make the playing area smaller.

Variation

Set up two playing areas.

Start the game with everyone in one playing area.
Players who have their ball kicked out go to the second playing area where a new game begins.
Once both games are in progress, there is a continual movement of players from one playing area to the other.
Play for a set time. The player who moves between playing areas the least number of times is the winner.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

The Fabregas game

Barcelona’s Cesc Fabregas is probably one of the best holding midfielders in the game – he just doesn’t give the ball away.

This game will help your players learn how to look after the ball, just like Cesc!

Age group: U9s and upwards.

Set-up: Play 4v4 (or 5v5 with goalkeepers) on a 30×20 yards pitch with a goal at both ends.

How to play: Play “normal” football with the condition that a goal is worth two points.

Occasionally when you see a player win possession of the ball in midfield, call out “Fabregas!”
That player has to hold the ball for a minimum of 10 seconds. He is not allowed to pass or shoot. He must keep the ball by shielding it or dribbling.
If he succeeds, his team is awarded one point.

Coaching points

Before the game starts, demonstrate the technique of shielding the ball.

Variation

The game can be adapted for younger players by placing two or three safe zones in the playing area. Instead of shouting “Fabregas”, (they won’t know who he is!), call out “keep it”.

The player in possession now has 10 seconds to hold off his opponents or dribble into one of the safe zones.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Beep, beep!

This simple little game is excellent for improving the co-ordination and balance of very young players. It also helps them get used to finding space and changing direction.

Number of players: Whole team.

Equipment required: Flat cones, a ball for every player.

Age group: U4s to U8s.

Set-up: Create a playing area big enough for all your players to move around in freely.

Give each player a flat cone to hold. They are told to pretend that they are cars and the cone is their steering wheel.

How to play: Begin the game by telling your players to move in different ways around the playing area – forwards, with little steps, big steps, hop, move sideways, go backwards, etc.

Encourage your players to keep their heads up and avoid crashing their car. Tell them to use their horn and go “beep, beep” if another “car” comes too close.
Progress the game by giving the players a ball each. Now they dribble their ball around in the grid, again trying to avoid “crashing” into another player.

Coaching points:

Encourage players to move around the grid with their heads up and look for spaces to move into.

Ask:

How can you avoid crashing your car?
Should you look at the ball while you’re dribbling? Why not?

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Four way football

This game will encourage young players to play with their heads up and spot opportunities as they try to score in three goals while defending their own.

Objective: To practice shooting, football “vision”, communication and support play.

Age range: U6s to U14s.

Set-up: Create a 30-yard square with a goal on each side line.

Divide your squad into four teams. Goalkeepers are optional.

How to play: Each team defends one goal and attacks the other three.

Play first to five goals wins the game or play for a set amount of time.

Coaching points:

Encourage quick, positive play. Emphasise the need for the players to keep their heads up and switch play to unguarded goals.

Variations:

Play with two balls.
Use five teams. Play the game as described above but, when one team concedes two goals, they are replaced by the fifth team. Play does not stop, so the fifth team has to be observant and prepared to enter the game quickly. This improves transition.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Through the tunnel

This game was sent in by Chris Hulme of Whetstone Juniors FC

Objective: To improve passing, tackling and communication skills.

Age range: U7s to U10s.

Number of players: Eight.

Set-up: Create a 10×4 yard “tunnel” as shown below.

Divide your eight players into a team of six attackers (the Xs) and a team of two defenders (the Ds).

How to play:

Five attackers stand diagonally opposite to each other outside the tunnel while the sixth attacker enters the tunnel with the ball.

The sixth attacker tries to get a point for his team by getting past the two defenders and out of the other end of the tunnel.

He can pass to any of the five outside players and they either return the ball directly to him or they can pass to another outside player first.

The two defenders work together to try to stop the attacker getting through the tunnel. If they can win the ball and can pass it to you (who is standing just outside the playing area), they earn two points. If they can kick it out, they earn one point.

Each attacker takes a turn in the tunnel then add the points up.

Congratulate the winning team then play the game again with two new defenders.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Where’s the goal?

This is a great way to help young players play with their heads up and work together to score goals.

Age group: U6s to U10s.

Equipment required: A pole, training vests, a playing area and a couple of balls.

Number of players: Six to 14.

Set-up: Create a scrimmage area. For ten U10s, I would use a 20-yard area.

Divide your players into two equal teams plus two players who are going to be the “goal posts”.

The goal posts hold a pole or stretch a training vest tightly between them. They move randomly around the playing area while the two teams try to score a goal by passing the ball under the pole or vest.

Play for five minutes, congratulate the winning team then change the goal posts.

Progression:

Players score by passing to a team mate through the goal. A pass that is intercepted on the other side of the goal does not count as a goal.
Add a second ball.
Add a second goal. Players will now get more shooting chances but it’s even more important that they communicate and play with their heads up.

Encourage and praise:

Communication between team mates.
Teams that try to keep possession of the ball.
Accurate passing.
Meeting the ball (as opposed to waiting for a pass to arrive).
Supporting team mates.
Winning the ball back quickly.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coach Weekly.

Short corners

The traditionally taken corner kick in youth soccer, particularly for very young players, rarely results in a goal. That’s because it’s very difficult for children to anticipate the flight of a ball coming directly at them through a crowd of players in such a way that they can make contact with it.

So instead of encouraging your corner taker to knock the ball in hard and fast, why not try something a little more subtle instead?

Short corners (where the ball is passed to a player standing a few yards away from the ball who either plays it back to the corner taker or crosses/shoots himself) are often very effective.

Or you could try passing the ball back to one of your midfielders who is standing by the half way line. This player will probably have a lot of room in front of him and can get within shooting range before he is challenged.

Remember Manchester United’s famous short corner against Chelsea in the 2008/9 season? Wayne Rooney pretended to change his mind about taking a corner and signaled to Ryan Giggs to do it instead.

As he moved away from the corner flag, Rooney touched the ball, putting it into play. Chelsea’s defence were expecting Ryan Giggs to take a conventional corner but he ran with the ball towards goal and crossed it for team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo to score with a header.

This tactic might be worth a try but it will only work once!

Clear the decks

Age group: U10s upwards

Objective: To improve short and long passing skills

Equipment: Cones to mark out a grid, several footballs.

Set up

Play on a 7-a-side pitch or use cones to mark out a 60×40 yard grid with a halfway line. Divide your players into two teams with each team occupying one half of the playing area. Place half the soccer balls behind each end of the grid.

How to play

On your signal, both teams attempt to get all the balls into their opponent’s half without crossing the half way line.

Encourage accuracy by telling your players that if they kick the ball out of their opponent’s half – either out the back or across the side – it counts against them when the game is over.

At the end of agreed time (30 secs-1 minute) award 1 point to the team that has the most balls in their opponent’s half.

If a player touches a ball after the stop signal, you may automatically award that round to the opposition to discourage cheating.

Develop the drill

Insist that the ball is in the air when it crosses the halfway line so players can practise chipping the ball.