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Stop the shot

Objective: to encourage your defenders to keep attackers out wide and not dive into the tackle.

Age group: U10 upwards.

Set up: Play this game on half of a small-sided pitch – about 30 yards long by 25 yards wide – with a goal at one end.

Divide your players into two teams: defenders and attackers.

The defenders stand on the end line opposite the goal. The attackers stand on the sidelines.

A goalkeeper is an optional extra.

Tip: if you have more than eight players – four defenders and four attackers – set up two or more playing areas to avoid players getting bored while they’re waiting for their turn.

How to play:

A defender starts the game by playing a ball out wide towards a side line. An attacker chases the ball and tries to score.
The defender who passed the ball immediately closes down the attacker and tries to keep her away from the goal and near the touchline.
Tackling is not allowed.
The defender gets a point for her team if she can stop the attacker from getting a shot away for at least 20 seconds.
When all the defenders and attackers have played, change the teams round. The team that gets the most defensive points is the winner.

Progression: add a defender who stands in the goalmouth. When the ball is played wide to the attacker, this defender is the first defender, i.e. she must close the attacker down quickly and hold her up until a second defender comes off the end line and gets into a covering position.

You can also add a second attacker who is allowed to come on 10 seconds after the ball is first played.

Points are awarded as above.

Tell your defenders:

“Close down, slow down” – i.e. get there fast but don’t dive in.

“Work together”.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Half and half

This game can be used to practice supporting the player on the ball, spotting a through pass.

Age range: U9s to U15s.

Number of players: Eleven.

Tip: If you have more than 11 players, don’t make the teams bigger. Instead, use your spare players as “side supports” working up and down the touchline receiving and passing back to the team in possession.

Equipment required: Flat cones, one ball, training vests in three colours.

Set-up: A 30×20 playing area with a centre line and a goal at each end.

Divide your players into two teams of five: One defender, three attackers and one goalkeeper, plus a neutral player who plays for the team in possession.

How to play: Play with one condition: Players cannot move out of their own half – the attackers must stay in their opponent’s half and defenders must stay in the half of the pitch in front of their goal.

So you always have three attackers and one defender in each half.

Any player can score except the neutral player who can play in either half of the playing area.

Progression: The neutral player is restricted to two or three touches of the ball.

Coaching points: Encourage defenders to keep possession until they spot an opportunity for a through pass to one of their attackers.

The neutral player can carry the ball from one half to another and assist the attackers.

Guided discovery questions:

How can the defenders keep the ball away from the other team’s attackers while they are waiting to pass the ball to their attacker?
How can the attackers help their defender find them with a pass?
In which half should the neutral player be?

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

Shot stopper

Objective: For goalkeepers to practise shot stopping and outfield players to practise attacking and defending.

Age group: U7s to U12s.

Number of players: Twelve plus a goalkeeper.

Equipment required: Three poles, some flat cones, training vests and a ball.

Set-up: Create a circular playing area about 30 yards across.

Make a triangular goal in the centre of the playing area with three poles.

Split your players into three teams of four plus a goalkeeper. To begin with, differentiate the teams with training vests.

How to play: All three teams play against each other and try to score through any side of the triangular goal.

If the keeper catches the ball, she throws it back into the playing area.
If a goal is scored and the ball stays within the playing area, play continues.
If the ball goes out of the playing area, restart with a throw-in or kick-in taken by the first player to get to the ball.Â
Every time a goal is scored, change the keeper.
Play for a set time or until a set number of goals is scored.

Progression:

1. Place the goal in the centre of a small circle. Only the keepers are allowed inside the circle.

2. Play with two balls.

3. Take away the training vests. Play for five minutes then ask your players if not wearing vests made the game harder.

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

Tag netball

This game will improve your players speed on the pitch. It’s also a great warm up game!

Objective: To improve speed of play, movement off the ball, supporting the player with the ball.

Age range: U7s to U14s

Set-up: Use an area 40 yards long by 30 yards wide with a goal at each end.

Create two evenly matched teams of five or six players wearing bibs.

How to play: The players’ objective is to throw the ball into the opposition goal.

Play begins with you throwing a ball in the air.
Teams advance the ball up the field by throwing it from player to player.
If the player holding the ball is tagged by an opposition player possession goes to the other team.
Balls that go over the side or end lines result in a throw-in from wherever the ball went out of play.
First team to score five goals wins.

Tips: Other than tagging, physical contact is not allowed.

Stop players protecting their goal by setting the goals three yards back from the end lines.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Two colour soccer

Objective: to practice ball control, passing, support play and intercepting passes.

Age range: U4s to U7s

Set-up: create an area 20 yards long by 15 yard wide with flat cones.

Split your players up into two teams wearing different coloured bibs (pinnies) i.e., one team wearing white and one team wearing blue.

You stand in the middle of one side line and the teams stand either side.

How to play: put a ball in play and call out “white!” or “blue!”.

The nominated team sends two players out who try to win the ball and pass it back to you. The other team sends out one player who also tries to win the ball and pass it to you.

You should move around the playing area so players must get their heads up to find you.

First team to “Find The Coach” five times, wins.

Coaching points: encourage your players to support each other and shield the ball when under pressure.

If neither team can pass the ball to you within 30 seconds, call “time” and start again.

Progression:

Play 3v1 or 4v1.
If your players are old enough, you can restrict the number of touches they are allowed before they have to pass.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Shooting practice

Objective: To practice shooting and goalkeeping skills.

Age group: U6s and upwards.

Number of players: Nine (but can easily be adapted for larger numbers).

Set-up: Create a 30×20 yards playing area with a goal on the centre line.

Divide your squad into two teams of four plus a goalkeeper.

Teams stand at each end of the playing area. The goalkeeper stands in the goal.

Note: This game does involve children standing in lines but it’s very fast moving so there shouldn’t be a problem providing you keep the lines short.

How to play:

First, discuss shooting technique.

Ask your players if the goalkeeper would find it easier to save a shot directed at the corners of the goal or the centre. Talk about power v accuracy.

1. Stand on on the centre line and serve a ball for each player in turn to control, then shoot. Vary the serves so the ball goes across the player, away from her and towards her. Also serve the ball so that it goes to either side of the player, play hard passes and serve a bouncing ball.

2. Now give each player a ball. The first player on team A takes one touch to push the ball in front of him then shoots. If the keeper saves the ball, she returns it to the player. If the shooter misses or scores, she retrieves the ball. As soon as the first shot has been dealt with, the keeper turns to face the other team and the process is repeated.

Coaching notes:

Make the game competitive. The team scoring most goals with X number of shots wins.

Watch your players’ first touch (do they push the ball out of their feet?) and shooting technique (head over the ball, non-striking foot next to the ball, good follow-through) and do they use the correct surface (instep (laces) or side of foot).

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

Under arrest

This game is a great way to improve your players’ marking skills.

It also helps your players learn how to get away from a marker and make space for themselves as well reinforcing the need for a good first touch.

Age range: U8s and upwards.

Set-up: two teams of four play in an area 30 yards long by 20 yards wide with a goal at each end.

How to play: outfield players choose (or are assigned) an opponent who they have to mark and who marks them when their team does not have the ball.

Tell your players: they can only be tackled by the player who is marking them and that player is the only player who they can tackle.

This encourages players to find space and pass the ball to a team mate who has managed to get away from their marker.

Play for a set time. Five minutes is probably enough – this is a tiring game, both physically and mentally.

Progression: add a spare player who plays for the team in possession. This further encourages your players to find and use a player who is not being marked.

This game is from Fun Soccer Games for 5 to 8 Year Olds.

For more soccer coaching tips and products visit Soccer Coaching Club.

Barca Keepaway

Objective: To improve your players’ core skills: Their ball control, passing/receiving, support play and ability to keep possession.

Age range: U7s to U15s.

Number of players: Eight.

Equipment required: Flat cones, training vests, one ball.

Set-up: Mark out a 15-yard square within an 18-yard square.

Divide your players into two teams.

How to play: One team (the passing team) plays in the smaller playing area. The other team (the defenders) wait outside the playing area in the larger square.

The game lasts for two minutes and begins with one defender entering the central playing area and trying to take the ball away from the passing team.
After 30 seconds, a second defender is added to make the game 4v2. Thirty seconds later, a third defender makes it 4v3 and finally the last defender enters to make it 4v4.
Feed in a new ball every time the ball leaves the playing area.
Count the number of successful passes the passing team makes in two minutes.
The passing team and the defending team swap roles and the game is played again.
The team that makes the most successful passes wins.

Coaching points: Encourage players to scan the playing area before receiving a pass.

Players’ first touch should be away from pressure.

Progression: The defending team is restricted to three, two or one touch of the ball.

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