Soccer Drills – Page 53

Kick it out

Players dribble around the inside of a circle.

On command, each player tries to keep possession of her/her own football while trying to kick the other players’ balls out of the circle.

The child whose ball is kicked out the fewest number of times in a set period (say, two minutes), wins the game.

COACHING POINTS

“Keep your heads up”- Players must always be aware what is happening around them.

“Keep dribbling” – no standing and watching allowed.

“Play the ball” – try not to kick the other players’ legs!

“Use your body to protect the ball” – keep defenders a safe distance away from the ball.

Keep the prisoner

Purpose: To develop defensive techniques, especially closing-down, cover and balance. Also works on passing, receiving and communication skills

Age range: 10-18

Duration: 15 – 25 minutes

Grid size: 50×50 (make smaller to increase pressure)

Procedure
A large circle approximately 50 yards in diameter is marked around the centre circle with cones. One attacker is restricted to the area inside the centre circle, while his colleagues play six versus three soccer in the outer area.The six attackers play possession soccer and try to finish with a pass to the colleague inside the circle; the three defenders work to prevent them doing this. The defenders can run across and through the inner circle; however, they are not allowed to stop and intercept passes inside this area. Players change over after a set time period.

Development
(a) Initially, do not allow attackers to play the ball above knee-height, but as defenders improve withdraw this restriction. (b) Add more or fewer players, depending on the success of the game. (c) Time each trio of defenders for a given period: the group which concedes the least number of passes wins the game.

Inswinging corners

1. Stand one step inside the six yard box just in front of the near post. Hold your hands up and motion a square with your hands. Say “Try to target the football here, four yards off the goal line and somewhere in this box here”.

Coaching point

The steeper the angle you come at the ball, the more bend you try to put on the ball and the less chance you have of getting it in the target area.

2. Position one player at the near post. It doesn’t have to be the best header of the ball. I want the biggest nuisance possible-who has a great chance of flick on’s and who can stop the defenders from getting to the ball. They might not be the most mobile person in the world but they are going to be a handful and very awkward. She might get a flick on, she may even get a strike on goal but the important thing is to get in the flight of the ball.

3.inswinging corners practice Now add two defenders. One in front and one behind the ‘flicker’. Tell the ‘flicker’ not to just stand at the near post but to try to cause the two defenders a problem. The corner taker and the ‘flicker’ work together. The ‘flicker’ starts at the near post and runs to the edge of the 6-yard box to split the defenders, when the ‘flicker’ moves forward that’s the corner takers cue to take the corner. The ‘flicker’ then moves back half turned to the near post area. Opposite movement. It is harder to defend when you are back tracking/peddling. So draw the defenders and put the ball where he has come from.

“If the defender gets a touch he might just do the job for us. Open the space to make bigger target. If both defenders go with him then we can get a runner in here. So when he gets to the 6 yard line you deliver it, ‘flicker’ get yourself sideways on. If you aim to miss the first defender you will give your self the perfect target.”

4. Now add a ‘sniffer’ and the keeper ! The ‘sniffer’ should stand in front of the keeper. As soon as the ‘flicker’ hits the edge of the 6 yard box, the ‘sniffer’ steps away from the keeper out to the edge of the six yard line and in front of the back post. This locks off the back post.

5. Now add two defending full backs and three attackers. Put the two full backs on the post and three attackers on the edge of the area. It is important to give the three attackers responsibilities. One attacker hits the inside of the near post, one goes for the penalty spot and one for the far post.

6. Add your right back and left back to lock off the outside of the penalty box. They should stand 5 yards outside the penalty box, mid way between the edge of the box and the middle of the penalty area (the “D”) The opposite back player works in the back half of the area. Add three defenders. The job of the penalty taker is not finished yet. He must come in and lock up the edge of the box to the goal line. If the ball is under hit the players on the edge of the area must be alert because it is probably coming back to you. If it is over hit you will need to step in. I don’t want one ball beating all, so the attacker hitting the back post should delay their run until they have assessed the flight of the ball.

7. Now let them play for a bit. 11 v 11 or small sided game.

8. Variation. Short ball. Devise a signal, 1 hand up. When the ‘flicker’ hits the 6 yard line, the ‘sniffer’ sprints forward to receive the short corner. He can either cross himself or play it back to the corner taker. Aim to shoot just inside the far stick.

The corner kick game

The game is played on a half field with 2 goals and goalkeepers. Two teams of 8 divide up into groups of four. A large number of footballs are split up to the four corners. The game is 4v4 with the remaining 4 players from each team positioned at the corners of their team’s attacking goal. Each game lasts 4 minutes and the “corner” players exchange positions with the field players.

Every time the ball goes out of play, the team that just gained possession is awarded a corner kick at their attacking goal. That means they must sprint to their penalty area and try to execute a quick corner-kick before the defending team reacts. If the GK gets the ball, he is to distribute as quick as possible, hoping to find a breakaway situation.

There is no off-side. We started play with a GK distribution. After a score, we transitioned to the other goal for a corner-kick. Another option would be for the beaten GK to distribute to his teammate to restart play.

Coaching Points:

encourage high work rate (sprinting)
emphasis on quick, but accurate corner kicks
look to recognize first player who opens space for himself
make defenders sprint back to their goal after losing the ball out of bounds
emphasis on aggression in the box
emphasis on quick transitions from defence to offence and offence to defence

Running with the ball

DESCRIPTION:

Two groups of players at opposite ends of a 40 x 20 meter area, divided into two 40 x 10 meter channels. First player runs with the ball, down a 40 meter grid, before passing the ball across the grid to the second player. Exercise is repeated.
PURPOSE: to improve the first touch and the technique of running with the football and passing accurately at the end of the run.

ORGANISATION:

1. Area of 40 x 20 meters, divided into two 40 x 10 meter channels

2. Supply of balls

3. Cones

4. Groups of players diagonally at opposite ends of the running channels

KEY FACTORS:

1. Meet the ball

2. Get the ball out of the feet – good first touch

3. Run quickly with the ball

4. Minimum number of touches.

5. Use the front of the foot – laces, to push the ball in front

6. Run in a straight line.

7. Use an unbroken stride

8. Head up

9. Composed accurate pass at end of run

PROGRESSIONS:

Both groups start with a ball at the same time.

After the player meets the ball and controls it in front, have the second player in the group be a defender and chase the first player.

To improve fitness and speed, make the distance longer and make the groups smaller.

Hot potato

Objectives: communication, goalkeeping, movement, decision-making, passing, receiving, fun.

Age range: 6+

Number of children: 10+

Equipment: enough cones to mark out the grid, 8 or 10 footballs, coloured bibs.

Set up: Mark out a 40×30 grid with two target areas as shown in the diagram. Place 8 or 10 footballs in one target area. Put one player in each target area.

The basic game

Set your players a problem to solve – how can you get the footballs from one target area to the other as quickly as possible?

I suggest that you have just two rules: every player must touch every ball as it is transferred to the other target area and there can only be one ball in play at a time.

Now watch how they achieve their task. How do they communicate? Who are the leaders?

Ask them: “how can you do this more quickly?” “Is it quicker to take up static positions and throw the ball rather than pass it to each with your feet?” “Why?”

Conditions

If you prefer, you can direct your players by setting conditions such as:

Use hands only (a good starting point for younger players)
You cannot run with the ball
You can only run N paces

Don’t forget to rotate the target players with the outfield players.

Progression 1: Introduce an element of competition.

Keep one player in each target area and split the remainder into two teams wearing coloured bibs. Start by sharing the grid as shown below.

The two teams now compete with each other to get a specified number of footballs from one target area to the other as quickly as they can. Keep the same basic rules, i.e., only one ball in play for each time at a time and every player must touch the ball. Introduce other conditions as required.

Progression 2: The two teams now play a netball (i.e., not allowed to run with the ball) or basketball (can run with the ball) game. They score a point by successfully passing the ball to a target player.

Progression 3: The next step is for the two teams to play soccer in the grid. They score a point by making a completed pass to one or either of the target players.

Summary

These soccer coaching activities, when combined with a suitable warm up and cool down, are a good way to improve your players decision making, passing, receiving and communication skills. The simplicity of the games makes them particularly suitable for younger players.

Hit the wall

Start with a 1 v 1 game in a 20 x 10 grid with an extra player on each sideline. See diagram, left.

X gets a point by dribbling the ball, with control, over the lower end line. O gets a point by dribbling the ball, with control, over the upper end line. The player can either beat the defending with the dribble or can pass to either of the S’s who are providing offensive support, for both teams.

The support players are limited to one touch and the idea is to either simply play the ball right back to the player who passed to them (if the defender drops back) or to try to complete a wall pass if the player who passed can get behind the defender. The support players can pass to each other but are still limited to one touch each.

The purpose of the game (besides working on 1 v 1 defending and attacking) is to train the defender to drop back quickly when their player passes the ball to prevent the wall pass.

When the defending player drops back quickly after the pass, it prevents the attacking player from getting behind the defence for an easy score.

The game is a 3 minute game and then the two support player play against each other and the two players in the middle become the support players.

The next step in this game would be to play 2 v 2 with a support player on each side.

Hit the cone!

Game Rules

Make the goal one cone placed inside an area with a radius of approximately six yards.
The circumference can be marked out with frisbees, bibs or flat cones.
The team in dark uniforms plays against the team in white.
A goal is scored when the ball is played from outside the area to knock over the cone.
All players are allowed to run through the circle but no player is allowed to touch the ball in the circle.
If any player touches the ball in the area, the opposing team has a free shot at the “goal” from the edge of the circle.
Keep score.

Player Objectives

Player in possession:

To keep an eye on the ball and keep the head up to observe teammates, opponents and the goal.
To maintain possession of the ball by keeping one’s body between the ball and opponent.
To change direction, by turning with the ball, and to change pace.
To pass to teammates and choose which teammate is the better option.
To achieve pace and accuracy of pass.

Players not in possession:

To support the player with the ball.
To know where and when to run.
To know not to make the same run as other supporting players, or to crowd the player in possession of the ball.

NOTES:

The game should be no longer than three minutes before allowing players to rest.

With a group of 12, six play and six rest.

Heading to score

This football (soccer) drill is designed to improve the player’s heading ability.

Players are divided equally into two groups.

One group is positioned behind the goal to recover missed headers. The second group are split equally and positioned at two cones placed at the edge of the penalty area. Two servers, positioned each side of the goal, serve the ball in the air and between the two cones placed approximately 12 yards from the goal line.

Players recovering the balls should ensure there is a ready supply of ball for the servers.

The players heading receive a throw from the server diagonally opposite. The ball must be struck after it passes through the cones. Any ball struck before passing through the cones does not count. The group works as a team to see how many goals they can score in a three-minute period.

Coaching points: The emphasis should be placed on accuracy and power. Players should time their runs so that they do not have to break stride when heading the ball.