Category: Soccer Drills

This game encourages players to shoot from a distance and to follow up on their shots. It is suitable for players aged from about eight or nine upwards.

Set up: This game is played on a short, wide pitch. For U10s, I would use a playing area 30 yards wide and 20 yards long.

Place a goal on both ends of the playing area and mark out a halfway line with flat cones.

How to play:

Set up a small-sided game of 5v5.

Each team has three defenders, one attacker and a goalkeeper.

The three defenders start the game in their own half and cannot go over the halfway line. The attacking players start in their opponent’s half of the pitch and they can’t cross the halfway line either. So each team has three defenders and one attacker who play in opposite halves of the pitch.

Key soccer coaching notes: The can’t cross the halfway line clause encourages the defensive players to take shots on goal from their own half of the pitch (remember, they are only 10 yards away from their opponent’s unguarded goal) and attacking players should follow up on the defenders’ shots in the hope of getting a touch or taking advantage of a fumble by the goalie.

Objective: Your players will improve their ability to switch play, to play with their heads up and their decision making.

Switch and Score is also a good physical work out for you!

Age group: U9s and upwards.

Number of players: Whole team.

Equipment: Six poles or traffic cones to make the goals, one ball, some flat cones, training vests.

Set-up: Divide your players into two teams of four or five. Differentiate the teams with training vests.

Set up a 40 yards long by 30 yards wide playing area with three goals at each end.

You stand at one end of the pitch behind the goals and an assistant stands at the other end.

How to play:

• Each team attacks and defends three of the goals.
• There is one rule: You can’t score in a goal if there is someone standing behind it.
• So you and your assistant work along the end line, blocking off whichever goal you think will be targeted next.
• Players will love making the coaches scamper along the line, trying to stop them shooting!
• First to score five goals wins the game.

What to say to your players:

“Play with your head up”

“Find the empty goal”

“Pass the ball quickly”

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

I found this game really does help young players spot opportunities for a through pass and play the ball quickly before the chance disappears.

Age range: U9s and upwards.

Number of players: Eight.

Set-up: Split a 40-yard square area horizontally into thirds.

The middle third is 20 yards wide and the end zones are each 10 yards wide.

The end zones are further divided into four 10-yard squares.

How to play

• Place one player in each of the four squares in the end zones.
• The player in square 1 attempts to pass to the player in square 3.
• If the pass is intercepted by the player in square 2, he tries to pass to the player in square 4 and now the player in square 3 tries to intercept.
• If the pass is successful, the player in square 3 tries to pass back to the player in square 1.

Coaching notes: To begin with, players are not allowed to leave their zones.

If your players are finding this exercise easy, allow the intercepting player to move out of his square and put more pressure on the pass.

Tell your players not to let the ball stop moving.

Move players around between squares every minute or two.

Progression: Take away the four squares in the end zones and play a 4v4 game in the middle zone.

Teams score a point by making a pass into an end zone for a team-mate to run onto.

Coaching note: the only player allowed in the end zone is the player running onto the pass.

Finally, remove the end zones, put a goal at each end and play a “normal” SSG. Award extra points for through passes.

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

Objective: Find the target is a small-sided game (SSG) which requires your players to make quick, forward passes.

Find the target is also good for practising shooting, defending, making forward runs and encouraging good movement off the ball.

Age group: U10s and upwards.

Set-up: create an area 40 yards long by 30 yards wide that is split horizontally into thirds.

Place a small goal at both ends.

Divide your players into three teams plus two goalkeepers. Teams of four are ideal but you can play with teams of three or five.

Two teams play “normal” football.

The players in the third team are split into two groups of target players. One group stands next to one goal, the other group stand next to the other goal.

How to play

Players can only score following a pass to a target player.

The target players move along the end line, trying to make themselves available for a pass.

Target players cannot be tackled and have four seconds to pass the ball back to the team that passed to them. Or you can impose a two/three-touch limit.

Corners are taken by target players.

Goalkeepers throw the ball out – no kicking.

Play five-minute games.

Rotate the teams on the pitch with the target players in every new game.

What you’re looking for

Attacking players passing to a target player at the first opportunity then moving quickly into space to get the return pass.

Find the target is adapted from Target Man, one of Michael Beale’s 64 More Small-Sided Soccer Games.

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