Soccer Drills – Page 18

Vision on!

Objective: To encourage quick decision making, playing with head up, switching play.

Age group: U7s and upwards.

Number of players: Eight plus two adult assistants.

Equipment required: Flat cones to mark the playing area, training vests to differentiate the teams, four small goals, one ball.

Set-up: Use a 30×20 yards playing area with two goals at either end.

Divide your players into two evenly matched teams.

Place an adult assistant at either end of the pitch, behind the goals.

How to play: Each team defends and attacks two goals.

They can score in either of the goals they are attacking, providing there is no one standing behind it.
The assistants work up and down the end lines, positioning themselves behind the goal they think is going to be attacked next.
There are no goalkeepers.
Play for 10 minutes or until a set score is reached.

Variations: Limit the players to two or three touches.

Players can only score from their first touch.

Add a halfway line. To score, all the players in the attacking team must be in their opponent’s half.

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

Pass, pass, pass…shoot!

This is an excellent game to encourage young players to support each other, keep the ball for a set number of passes then finish with a shot a goal.

Age range: U9s and upwards.

Difficulty: Medium.

Set-up: Divide your players into teams of three. If you have an odd number, it’s OK to have one or two groups of four.

Three teams play in a 30-yard square with a goal at one end.

How to play:

Nominate one team as the defenders. The other two teams work together as a group (they are the attackers) and try to keep the ball from the defenders for a set number of passes.
Once they have completed the number of passes required (four or five is enough for U9s) they are allowed to shoot at goal.
If a player from the attacking group gives the ball away, his team of three becomes the new defenders

Progression: Limit the number of touches the attacking team is allowed.

Coaching notes: If the attackers are struggling with this game, make the area bigger. Conversely, if they are finding it easy, make the area smaller.

You can also make the game easier for the attacking team (and thus encourage more shots on goal) by reducing the number of defenders.

Make the game competitive by playing the game for a set period of time and seeing which team of three can score the most goals.

Look out for and encourage: Good communication, correct spacing, team shape, support play, quick passing and shots on goal.

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

The Xavi game

This game is named after Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez who is, perhaps, one of the most skilful players in the game today. It is designed to encourage a Barca style, quick passing style of play plus the freedom to dribble and run at defenders when in the final third.

Age group: U8s to U14s.

Set-up: Create a 30×20 yards playing area divided into horizontal thirds.

Divide your players into two teams of five or six.

How to play: Players in their defensive or middle third of the pitch are restricted to three touches of the ball before they must pass.

In the final third (the third of the pitch nearest their opponent’s goal), they can take unlimited touches.
When the ball goes out of play, the game is restarted with a kick-in that must be taken in four seconds or less.
Goalkeepers must roll the ball out, again within four seconds.
Play first to X number of goals or play for a set time.

Coaching note: younger children can practise their ball control skills in a less structured 4v4 where the coach awards extra ‘goals’ for good examples of getting into line with a pass or a nice, soft first touch.

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

Secret weapon

Objective: To create goalscoring opportunities for a specific player.

Age range: U8s to U12s.

Number of players: Twelve

Equipment required: Some flat cones, training vests, two goals, a few balls

Set-up: Divide your players into two teams of six (five outfield players plus a goalkeeper). Use training vests to differentiate the teams.

Set up a suitable size playing area with a goal at each end. For U8s, 30×20 yards is a good size. For U11s, try 40×30 yards.

How to play: Both teams get together and choose their “secret weapon” – the only player that can score for their team.

The teams whisper the name of their secret weapon to you.

Players who are not the secret weapon can shoot – and perhaps deliberately miss – in order to trick their opponent into identifying the wrong player as the secret weapon. This is a fun introduction to tactics and strategy.

Tips: Every player should be chosen as the secret weapon at some point – a great way to integrate new or shy players.

Make sure you remember who each team has nominated as their secret weapon. It’s your job to ensure only goals scored by the nominated player count.

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

Three ball alley

This is a fun way to practice heading for all ages of players.

Objective: to be the first team to knock three balls off cones with a header.

Set up:

Divide your players into teams of four or five.
Each team apart from one player, the server, lines up about six feet away from a row of three, flat cones.
The server stands on the other side of the cones, facing the rest of their team.
A ball is balanced on top of each of the cones.

How to play:

On your command, the servers throw a ball to the first player in their team’s line who attempts to knock a ball off one of the cones with a header.
Hit or miss, the first player goes to the back of the line, the server collects the ball and throws it to the next player.
The game continues until one team knocks all their balls off the cones.

Progression: modify the distance from the players to the cones and you can practise side-foot volleys, passes or even shots in the same way.

Split the defenders

This game will improve your players’ passing/receiving skills and their decision making. It is easy to set up and explain but demands a high work rate and good concentration from your players if they are to succeed.

Experience: intermediate upwards.

Set up: create an area 18 yards by 18 yards for every six players in your squad.

Divide your players into teams of two. You need three teams for each playing area.

How to play: two teams (four players) are spread round the outside of the square and attempt to pass a ball to each other across it. The third team works in the square and tries to intercept the passes.

If they can pass the ball between the defenders (splitting them) the successful team gets a point.

The first team to score three points wins.

If the defenders intercept a pass, they exchange places with the relevant team.

Coaching points:

Make sure all the outside players stay on their toes and move around the square looking for an opportunity to split the defenders.

Applaud quick decision making and a good pace of pass.

Encourage verbal and non-verbal communication.

Variations

Limit the number of touches per possession.

Play the same game, but expand the square by three to five yards on each side and have the players play inside the grid instead of outside the grid.

Shoot, score, win!

This game is designed to improve your players’ ability to shoot quickly and accurately. It will also encourage them to follow up on their shots, which will result in your team scoring many more goals this season!

The variation of this soccer coaching game is also a great workout for your goalkeepers.

Experience: any.

Set up:

Divide your squad into two teams of between four and six players. If you have more than 12 players, set up two games.

Create a playing area about 30 yards long and about 20 yards wide.

Place a team behind each end line.

Make a goal in the centre of the playing area with poles or corner flags.

Place a cone between each team and the goal to mark the point at which your players should take their shot

Place a few balls at both ends of the playing area.

How to play:

1. To start the game, team A sends one of its players to be goalkeeper.

2. The first player in team B dribbles a ball (at speed) to the marker cone and shoots. This player follows their shot and shoots again if team A’s goalkeeper drops the ball.

3. Team A’s goalkeeper retrieves the ball and returns to her team.

4. The shooter from team B is now in goal and faces a player from team A who dribbles out and shoots. After taking their shot, this player takes over in goal and so on.

5. The first team to score X number of goals wins.

Key soccer coaching points: impress on your players the need to dribble at speed, shoot quickly and follow their shot. You can, if you wish, further encourage a “finishing” mentality by awarding two goals if a player scores from a fumbled shot.

Also, if the shooter does not follow her shot and get into goal quickly, the opposition will have an open goal to shoot at.

You probably won’t need to, but make sure the next shooter doesn’t wait for the goalkeeper to get ready. They should start to dribble at goal as soon as they have the ball.

Vary the distance to goal and the size of the goal so players can experience success then make it harder by increasing the distance to goal and making the goal smaller.

Encourage players to shoot hard.

Variation: choose one player to be the goalkeeper. The rest of the players take it in turns to dribble and shoot, ie. a player from team A shoots followed by a player from team B in quick succession. The goalkeeper has to work hard: save, turn, save, turn.

Note: although this game involves players waiting in line, the speed of the game means they should only be waiting for a few seconds.

Back to the castle

This is a fun way to teach your players how to dribble with their heads up and work as a team.

Age range: U5s to U8s.

Difficulty: Easy.

Number of players: Use your whole squad.

Equipment: Four sets of coloured training vests, some flat cones and at least 12 balls.

Set-up: Divide your players into four teams and give them different coloured training vests to wear. If you don’t have four different colours, base the teams on the colour shirts that the players are wearing. If you have four players wearing red shirts, for example, they are the red team.

Create a 30-yard square playing area. Use flat cones to mark out a three-yard square safe zone in each corner.

Each team is allocated one corner, which is that team’s “castle”.

The coach stands just outside the playing area with at least 12 balls. The more balls, the better.

How to play:

The objective of the game is for each team to get as many balls in their safe zone (or castle) as possible.
Start the game by throwing two or three balls into the playing area.
All the players are free to get possession of a ball and dribble it back to their castle.
Keep throwing balls in. Soon you will have lots of 1v1 and 1v2 mini games going on.
The game is over when all the balls are in the castles.

Coaching notes:

Players should be encouraged to steal any ball that is not stationary inside a castle.

Balls in a castle are safe and can’t be stolen.

Throw the balls in different ways – high, rolling, bouncing, fast, slow.

If a ball leaves the playing area, it is dead. Players should leave it where it is and return to the game. Have an assistant or two gather the dead balls up and return them to you.

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