Soccer Drills – Page 43

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Set up

Grid 20 x 30 yards. This is a football coaching drill for eight players. Use two goals.

There are two teams of four football players. One team wears bibs. Two cones, 1 yard apart, mark the goals at each end of the 20 x 30 grid.

Play starts with one player from each team going 1 v 1 attempting to score. Each time a goal is scored the team not scoring adds a player until there is a 4 v 4 set up. At this point, each time a goal is scored the team scoring takes away a player. Play ends when one team gets all of its players off the field.

Scoring System

1 point-goal with more players

2 points-goal with even number of players

3 points-goal with less players

5 points-bonus for first team to get players off

War!

Setup: 20×40 grid with both ends of the grid open. Place a set of cones about 3 feet apart in the middle of both ends. These are your goals. After you have set up the field, divide your players into two equal teams.

The teams line up outside the grid opposite each other. Assign each player a number.

How to play: The coach starts the game by tossing the ball inside the grid and calling a number.

The players of that number from each team run into the field of play and try to score through the opposite goal.

If you want to emphasise close control, make it a condition that a goal can only be scored if they have control of the ball and be no more than two steps away from it when the ball crosses the line. If they do not have control or are more than two steps away from the ball, the goal does not count.

Alternatively, you can encourage quick shooting by allowing the children to shoot as soon as they get a sight of goal.

Defending techniques, (closing down, positioning between the attacker and the goal, not ‘diving in’), can also be emphasised and reinforced in this fun 1 v 1.

If the ball goes out of the grid, throw another ball in to keep the game flowing. Try throwing it in high so your kids can practice controlling a bouncing ball.

Once a player scores, award that team 1 point. First team to score, say, three points wins.

After players are back into position call out another number.

To make the game more interesting, call out a second number while the first pair are playing. Now you have a 2 v 2 team situation. Now you can focus on defensive techniques, communication, quick passing and running off the ball.

You can add an element of conditioning if the children have to run right round the marked out area when their number is called, entering the field of play through the opposite goal.

Ensure both teams stand in the goalmouths while they wait for you to call out a number!

Trick or treat?

This simple dribbling drill was suggested by Ivan Mann, a coaching colleague from the soccercoach-l mailing list. It also makes a good warm up exercise for younger children.

Set Up and Execution

Make a square with pretty small sides – players line up on each side. Put an adult in the middle of each side (that means four adults) holding a dozen or so flat cones (you could use anything else similar size and shape). 50 cones or 50 slips of construction paper will do.

On a go signal, players dribble across the square, stop the ball with a foot on it, say “Trick or Treat”, take a cone from an adult, turn the ball, dribble back across, take a cone, etc. When all the cones are gone, who has the most?

This requires dribbling at speed, avoiding the clump in the middle, controlling the ball around an opponent, but minimal coordination holding the cones.After a few rounds dribble across the square, dribble around the coach, and then stop the ball, say “Trick or treat,” etc. Or place the adults randomly in the square, moving at a walking pace. This makes them keep their heads up and look for the target (i.e. the adult)

Triangle tag

Objective: To require participants to protect and take responsibility for their teammates, co-operate with group members, use strategic deception to gain competitive advantage and project a confident appearance throughout the contest.

Equipment: none

Space: several 10-yard grids (as in a football field)

Numbers: groups of four

The Game:
Three of the four players for a circle or a triangle. They link arms at the wrist, shoulders or elbows, and are never allowed to break that connection. The 4^th participant is outside the circle/triangle and is designated the tagger. One of the 3 in the triangle is designated the target and the job of the other two members is to shuffle, move, spin and otherwise protect the target from being tagged. This competition continues for 15 seconds and then someone else is designated the tagger and the game continues. The goal is to have everyone take turns being a protector and one turn being a tagger. Keep track of wins and losses as a protector and as a tagger so that all four players are competing for the best win-loss record.

Lesson:
This is a game of intense physical competition. Players have to act as if they’re doing one thing and then do another, fake one way and then go another. They have to act as if they are going to sneak over the back when they’re really coming up from the bottom.

Debriefing:

How competitive were you in this game?
How competitive was your team?
How did you react when a teammate was tagged?
How did that teammate react?
What does this exercise teach about winning and losing?
How did the tagger act when she was successful? When she was unsuccessful?
How do these lessons apply to the ‘Act as If’ principle? (playing with confidence … acting as if you’re confident, as if you’re in control, as if you are the dominant player)

Three heading games and drills

Throw-Head-Catch (U8 and U10)

Players get into groups of 3. One ball is needed. They get into a triangular shape. One person tosses the ball to another person who then heads it to the third person to catch. Every time someone is successful, they get a point.

2v2 Battles (U8 and U10)

In this game, pairs work together to had the ball marked into the goal (cones). Each pair works together to advance the ball to the other team’s goal by heading the ball back and forth or by tossing and heading. The pair who is not advancing the ball must go back to the coned goal and have to stay on the line until the attacking pair have attempted a goal with their head or the ball dropped. Once a ball drops the pair that was attacking must immediately run back to their goal and the pair that was defending can start from where the ball dropped and try and score. FUN GAME! Play for time or points.

Frog Races (U8 and U10)

Players pair up and share one ball. Teammates face each other. One player has a ball in their hands, the other is facing them, but in a frog position. When the coach says, “Go” The person with the ball tosses to their teammate who has to head it back into their hands from a frog position. Go to a certain point in the area and then players switch roles.

Three way soccer

Minutes: 10-20 Players: 9-18 Ages: 5-99

Objectives: develops team work, communication skills and tactical development (especially transition from defence to attack)

Description: Using cones, set up three goals, 3-4 yds across each on the corner of an equilateral triangle (I put one across each side of the penalty area and one near the centre circle). Divide into three teams, using bibs or shirt colour to distinguish.
soccer coaching drill – three way soccer index

Teams can score on either of the other two goals from the front side or the back side. After a score, the scored upon team dribbles back out from near their goal area.

After just a couple minutes the coach will notice players talking much more. They will also see players start to switch the point of attack from one goal to the other as it opens up, forcing the new target goal team to quickly transition from offence to defence.

3v1 keepaway

Three players try to keep the football away from one defender in a clearly defined grid. If an offensive player makes a mistake and loses the ball to the defender or if the ball goes out of the grid, he/she switches roles with the defender.

COACHING POINTS

“Get open”–don’t stand there and look at the backside of the defender.

“Keep the ball moving”–pass away from the defender.

“Support the pass”–are you in or moving into a position of support.

VARIATIONS

Easier (for offensive players)

Make the grid larger.
Require defender to gain possession of the ball.
Add another offensive player (4v1). This variation also focuses more on passing technique than movement off the ball.

Harder

Require one or two touches.
Make the grid smaller

Triangle goal shooting game

The Game

Set up a triangular goal in the middle of a 50 x 50 grid.

Play an even sided game with both teams having their own keeper.

Both teams try to score through any one of the three sides of the triangular goal.

It is best to place the goal in the centre of a 20 yard in diameter circle, with only the keepers allowed inside the circle.

If the keeper catches the ball, his or her team must take the ball outside of the grid before they may attack again.

Play with 2 balls for real excitement.

Goalkeepers may become attacking players when their team has possession.

Coaching Points
Attacking and defending principles of play.
Shooting
Finishing
Possession
Goalkeeper positioning, shot saving and distribution.