Soccer Drills – Page 33

Traffic cones

This game is pure fun and it’s so simple that even four and five-year-olds can play it yet 15-year-olds will get a lot from it too.

Objective: To improve shooting technique, passing and communication.

Set-up: Use a circular or rectangular playing area about 30 yards across.

Place a large traffic cone (or a flat cone with a ball balanced on top of it) as a target in the middle of the area.
Mark out a circular five-yard exclusion zone round the cone.
Divide your players into teams of three of four.
Three teams per playing area.

How to play: Each team tries to score a point by hitting the target. Players cannot enter the exclusion zone. First team to five wins.

Variations:

Make the game easier for very young players by placing a number of targets within the exclusion area.

Make the game harder for older, more experienced players by reducing the size of the playing area.

Add a goalkeeper or a defender to work in the exclusion zone protecting the cone.

Play with two balls.

Soccer baseball

Set-up: Mark out a diamond shaped playing area as shown below.

Mark the points of the diamond with poles placed about 15 yards apart.
Enclose one end of the diamond in a 5×5 yard square of cones. This is the batting square.
Mark another 5×5 square in the centre of the diamond. This is the “pitcher’s mound”.
Split your squad into two teams – batters and fielders.
The fielders spread out around the playing area.
You are the pitcher.

How to play

The batting team’s players take it in turns to enter the batting square.

You roll a ball into the square.

The batter must kick the ball as it enters the batting square, first time, as far as he/she can and immediately set off around the diamond.

The fielding team collects it and passes the ball to the pitcher (you) as quickly as possible.

Note: Very young children can throw the ball back to the pitcher.

The batter gets a point for his team if he can run right round the diamond before the ball gets back to the pitcher – a home run.

But if a batter is running between the poles when the ball gets back to the pitcher, he/she is out.

Batters are also out if:

a) They miss the ball.

b) Slice their kick so that it goes behind the playing area.

c) If the ball is caught by a fielder.

The innings continues until all the batting side is out or players are stranded in the diamond and there is no one in the batting square to face the next pitch.

Both team have one or two innings.

The team with the most points wins.

Variations

1. Set up a goal somewhere in the playing area. If the batter can kick the ball into the goal his/her team gets an extra point.

2. Batters kick the ball with their non-dominant foot.

Snowball

This fun game was sent in by Gareth Beale, as it’s one of his favourite coaching games.

He has used it with players aged from four to 16, they’ve all had a blast and they’ve sharpened their shooting, defending and passing skills at the same time.

Age group: U7s and upwards.

Set-up: Create a short pitch with a very large goal (at least 15 yards wide) on each end line.

The size of playing area depends on the age of your players and the number in each team. As a guide, eight U7s would need a 20×15 playing area while 10 U10s would need 30×20.

Split your players into two teams. There are no goalkeepers.

Coaching note: If you have more than 10 players, create two playing areas and play two games of Snowball alongside each other.

How to play: The size of the goals, the relatively short pitch and the absence of goalkeepers means it is possible to score from almost anywhere.

Start with one player from each team on the field and encourage them to shoot as soon as they have an opportunity.
Every time one team scores, the other team adds a player to the field – the idea being to swing the advantage back to the other team.
Have players ready to sprint on as soon as a goal is scored and have some extra balls ready to throw in any time the ball goes out of play.
The game is won by the team that scores against an opponent that has ALL its players on the field.

Variation: Have three teams. The resting team can play as side support players and the winners can choose to stay on and play again or take a rest break.

Four goal scramble

Objective: To practise shooting, vision, communication and support play.

Skill level: Intermediate/advanced.

Number of players: The whole squad.

Set up:

Create a 40 yards by 40 yards playing area with a goal on each side (four goals). Divide your squad into four teams.

How to play:

Each team defends one goal and attacks the other three. You have no goalkeepers in this game. 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.

Have 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.

King of the ring

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

Every player has a ball.

How to play: Players dribble their ball around and, at the same time, try 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 – wait on the sideline.

The winner is the last player dribbling.

Progression:

Ask your players to dribble with their “wrong” foot only.
Make the playing area smaller.

Variations

One or two players without a ball try to kick all the other players’ balls out as quickly as possible.

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.

Find the target player

This very simple small-sided game is one of my players’ favourites. It works on keeping your players’ heads up, good off-the-ball movement and quick decision making. It is suitable for all ages and abilities.

Set-up: set up a playing area 30 yards long by 20 yards wide for every eight players in your squad. Divide your players into teams of four and put two teams in each playing area.

Tip: if you have one or two spare players, have one or two teams of five. If you have three spare players, make them into a team.

How to play: one player from each team wears a distinctive bib. He or she is the target player.

Play “normal” football with one condition: goals can only be scored by the target player.

Change the target player after every goal.

First to four goals wins (or, if you have a team of five, first to five goals).

A practice plan for very young soccer players

Duration 45 – 60 minutes

Equipment required: one ball for every child

Warm-up

Every player has a ball. Use the center circle or penalty area, or place cones in a 20 x 30 yard area.

Body Part Dribbling (3-5 min): Place the players in random formations within the space and have them dribble without touching other players. When you call out a body part (left foot, right foot, thigh, head, etc.) the players must stop the ball with that body part.

Ball Stretching (2-3 min): Have players stand with legs apart and roll their balls with their hands in a figure eight in and out of their legs. Then, have them place one foot in front of the other and roll the ball around the front foot ten times, then switch. Have them sit down, legs extended in front, and roll the ball towards and around their feet and return along the other side of the leg. Have them sit in a V and move the ball in an outline around their bodies, including their backs. This activity makes the players stretch without realizing it; players at this age tend to just “count” when being led through stretching exercises, they don’t realize what a stretch feels like. Activities like this warm up their muscles and keep them occupied.

I Can Do Something With the Ball, Can You? (3-5 min): Lead this game first, saying, “I can do something with the ball (dribble with your left foot, kick as far as you can, etc.) can you?” and then the players have to mimic you. Then call the players up one at a time to the center to lead the activity.

Water Break (3 mins)

Main Activities

Individual Ball Retrieving (5-7 min): Have the players hand you their balls one at a time. Toss each ball away, and the players must retrieve their balls as quickly as possible and bring them back any way they want (carry in one hand, both hands, hold on top of head, etc.) Let them come up with their own ideas. A variation is to call out a number while the players run away and they must touch the ball that many times on their way back to you.

The Glob (5-7 min): Select one player to be ‘the glob’ with you. Have the players line up on one side of the goal box and the glob stays at the other side. The players should start running to the other side and try to avoid being tagged by the glob. If tagged, the players should practice dribbling behind the goal until the glob has tagged everyone. Select a new ‘glob’ partner and start over. Variations are to have the players dribble past you.

Water Break (3 mins)

Off to the Zoo (3-5 min): This drill starts without a ball. Have the players gather randomly in an area, then call out an animal, and they must walk around mimicking that animal. After the players get the hang of it, add balls, and they must dribble while being an animal.

Attacking and Defending Gates (5-7 min): Create 6-8 ‘gates’ or small goals with cones in an area of the field. Place one child in each gate—this is team A. Another child lines up facing the gate on either side with the ball (Team B) and tries to play the ball through the gate. If the Team B player wins, the players switch roles.

Water Break (5 min)

Game Time (10-12 min)

Play a small-sided game or two at a time, no more than 4 v. 4 with no goalkeepers. Have balls available out of bounds to kick in if the ball goes out (kick to players not as active in the game).

Cool-down (3-5 min)

Toes (2-3 min): Have the players sit on the ground legs extended and grab their feet with each hand. Through all of the following instructions, their hands cannot let go of their feet (this is another creative way to make the kids stretch a bit).

Can you make one leg longer than the other? Now the other leg?

How wide can you stretch your legs?

How small can you make yourself?

How large can you make yourself?

Can you get your feet higher than your head?

Can you get your feet behind your head?

Can you stand and walk without letting go of your toes?

Everyone’s a goalie!

Objective: To practise goalkeeping, teamwork and scoring goals.

Age group: U7s to U10s.

Set up: Divide your squad into two teams.

Place a cone goal for each player on one of the teams inside a 40-yard square.

How to play: One team guards the cone goals.

The players on the other team have a ball each and try to score as many goals as possible in a set time.

The attacking team can shoot from either side of the cone goals so the keepers need to be very aware of what is going on around them.

Coaching tip:

Ask your players if they can score more goals by working together instead of each attacking player working on their own.

Progression:

Play with uneven teams (6v3, etc.).
Take away some balls so there is one ball between two players on the attacking team.
Make the goals bigger or smaller.
Create more goals than there are defenders so that each player has to defend more than one goal.