Setup

• Each player has a ball
• Set down cones to make a 40×30 steps field for 10 players – larger if more players
  • Anything can be a cone (an article of clothing, a water bottle, any marker)
  • Set cones every ten steps
• Do not set up any goals
  • If there are goals, players will shoot on them and not listen to you
• Demonstrate each drill / game before starting it

Game 1 – “Lights” – 5 minutes

Objective: Follow directions to get to the opposite side of the field

• Players line up on one of the long (40 steps) sidelines
• You are on the opposite sideline
• Game: Call out a color light
  •  Green light: they run and dribble towards you
  •   Yellow light: they walk and dribble towards you
  •   Red light: they stop the ball with the bottom of their foot – the sooner the better (Remember the HINT from the previous drill: keep the ball close to you)
  •   Disco light: they stop and give you their best dance moves
• If players advance too fast because they are not under control, send them back to their last spot
  • There are no winners for reaching the opposite sideline first, everyone goes at their own pace

Game 2 – “Lights + Part of foot” – 5 minutes

Same as “Lights” except:

• Every time you call “Green Light” or “Yellow Light” also call out either “Inside” or “Bottom” of the foot for players to dribble using only that part of the foot

Game 3 – Sharks and Minnows – 10 Minutes

Setup

• The minnows (the players) start with the balls at one end of the field
• The shark (the coach) starts in the middle of the field without a ball
• When you say “Go!” the minnows have to cross the water (the field) to the other side without the shark taking the ball away from them
  • If the players manage to get to the other side, they go again and try to cross the water again, etc.
• If the shark takes the ball away from a minnow, there are two variations of what happens next – we prefer the first option because the young players continue to dribble the ball
  • Either the caught minnow just rejoins the others at next try
  • Or, the caught minnow also becomes a shark (fun, but no dribbling involved for the sharks)
    • You may play both variations, do the first option for the first half of the game and the second option for the rest of it
• COACHING POINT: Encourage players not to lose composure when a shark comes near
  • They can either dribble by the shark
  • Or they can shield the ball from the shark

Game 4 – “Cookie Monster” – 5 minutes

Remind players how to “shield” the ball

• Put your body between the ball and the opponent trying to steal the ball
  • Keep the ball close enough to you to control it but far enough from the opponent to steal it

The game

• The players dribble around until a “cookie monster” (coach or a parent volunteer) approaches them
• Players then protect the ball (the “cookie”) by shielding it from the “monster”
  • When the “monster” goes away the players continue to dribble

Game 5 – “Pirates” – 5 minutes

Setup

• On one side of the field place down cones in a circle to create a “pirate ship”
• Place a number of cones on the other side of the field to be the “treasure”

 

Game

• Players dribble a ball from the pirate ship to the treasure

• Players pick up a piece of treasure (a cone) and dribble the ball back to the ship to bring the treasure to it

• Players drop the treasure in the pirate ship and then dribble the back to get more treasure
• When all of the treasure is in the ship, ask the players (the “pirates”) to return the treasure

Game 6 – “Pirates” + Part of Foot – 5 minutes

Same as Pirates, except:

• Every minute or so ask the players to use either just the inside or just the bottom of their foot to dribble
  • This should last for about 20 seconds and then let the players dribble normal

Drill 1 – 10 Minutes with setup
Setup

• Place down 2 lines of cones – about 10 steps apart from each other – with the distance between the cones at about 5 steps
• Pair up the players
• Each pair has one ball between them
• Each pair has 2 cones it will use as a goal
  • One player goes on one side of that goal
  • The other player goes on the other side of the goal
• The players should be roughly 7 steps apart from each other

REITERATE PASSING TECHNIQUE 

• Take two steps to approach the ball
  • Not straight on, but with a little bit of a curve in the approach
• Plant the non-kicking foot next to, and a little bit behind, the ball in the direction in which you want the ball to go in
• Lock the ankle of your kicking foot, so it is sturdy with the toes pointing slightly up
• Use the inside of your foot to kick the ball in the center
• Follow through with your kicking foot so it comes off of the ground, about shin high

TEACH TRAPPING THE BALL WITH INSIDE OF FOOT

• Stay on your toes so you can move to the ball
  • Don’t watch the ball roll by you
• Move side-to-side to where the ball is going
• Use the inside of your foot to stop the ball in front of you
• Lift your foot just slightly off the ground
  • This way the ball does not roll over your foot
• But, do not lift the foot too much
  • This way the ball does not go under your foot

Drill 

• Players, who are about 7 steps apart, pass the ball to each other through the goal, about 5 steps wide
  • Force players to trap the ball before they pass it back
    • At least two touches, no one-touch passing as it will result in no control

Game 6 – 5 Minutes

Same as Drill 1 above, except: 

• In 2 minutes, how many goals can a pair score
• Take a minute to reiterate passing and trapping techniques and remind players they have to take at least 2 touches (trap then pass)
• Go again for the remaining 2 minutes, how many goals can a pair score

Drill 2 – 5 Minutes

Setup

• Coach takes all of the balls to one end of the tunnel (between the two lines of cones)
• Players line up on the other end of the tunnel

Drill

• Coach rolls a ball to a player
• The player traps the ball in front
• The player dribbles the ball back to the coach
• The player runs back to the end of the line

Drill 3 – 5 Minutes

The same as Drill 2 above, except:

• After players trap the ball, they pass it to the coach and then join the back of the line

 

End Practice

• Team cheer
  • 1,2,3 Go “team name”!