Dribbling And Control

Week 9 Soccer Practice Drills for U7, U8 & U9 Teams

Setup

 

Field Setup

  • Each player has a ball
  • Set down cones to make a 50×40 steps field for 12 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

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Ball Control & Shooting

Week 9 Soccer Practice Drills for U4, U5 & U6 Teams

Game 1 – Ball Retriever – 5 minutes

Objective: Dribble a ball back to your base without running out of bounds

Setup

  • Create 2 small bases in 2 opposing corners of your field
    • You can just put a cone in front of the corner of your field to create a base
  • Put 2 balls in the center of the field
  • Split players into 2 teams
    • Each team lines up in the opposing corners, off of the field
    • 1st player in each line steps into the base

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soccer book recommendations

5 Soccer Book Recommendations to Spice Up Your Reading List

The waves crash. The kids play in the surf with their friends. The sun beams down on you, but the gentle breeze and a cold drink cool you down. Just one thing is missing – a good book.

Thankfully, the beach season is set to start in only a few weeks. We at Soccer Drills App cannot help with much of your beach planning but we’ve got you covered for that good book. Listed below are several books that we have either read, or that trusted friends have recommended to us in recent years. Some of the listed books are also appropriate for your children to read. In addition to these books, a(n) (auto)biography will also usually prove to be a good read.

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FA Cup Final Wembley

Final of the Oldest Soccer Competition – The FA Cup

The FA Cup is the oldest association football competition in the world. The definition for “association football” is “soccer.” The word ‘soccer’ was somehow – I don’t know how you’ll have to ask the late 19th Century Brits about that – derived from the word “association.” So when Manchester United and Crystal Palace meet on Saturday, May 21, they will be partaking in the following:

  • High-stakes soccer: the winner of the cup earns a trip to one of next season’s European tournaments. Although Manchester United has already earned a trip to UEFA Europa League by finishing 5th in the Premier League, the underdog Crystal Palace is still fighting for a chance to play in Europe
  • Tradition: the FA Cup dates back to the 1871-1872 season
  • Chance for Records: Manchester United will tie Arsenal for most appearances in the FA Cup final (19) and with a win would also tie Arsenal’s record of FA Cup final wins (12).
  • Chance for Revenge: Crystal Palace appeared the FA Cup final one other time (1989-1990 season) and lost to Manchester United. The 1st game finished 3-3 and the rematch – these days we would see penalty kicks if the game was tied after extra time – went United’s way by the score of 1-0.

These factors definitely fit our criteria for picking a game to watch with your kids and sparking their interest in soccer. In the meantime, here are some links to get you a bit more excited for the game that kicks off at 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3600681/Manchester-United-vs-Crystal-Palace-FA-Cup-final-composite-XI-Marcus-Rashford-makes-cut.html

http://en.espn.co.uk/facupstories/sport/story/205406.html

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fa-cup-final-numbers-highest-8015442

http://www.espnfc.com/english-fa-cup/40/blog/post/2876740/how-manchester-uniteds-history-was-forever-altered-by-the-1990-fa-cup-final

 

 

Ball Control & Shooting

Week 8 Soccer Practice Drills for U7, U8 & U9 Teams

Drill 1 – Beginner Juggling – 5 minutes

Players stand in a big circle, holding the soccer balls in their hands

  • From chest-high
    • Drop the ball and hit it back up into your hands using your thigh
      • Keep an eye on the ball and watch as your thigh hits it
        • HINT: Your thigh hits the ball, not the other way around. You control where the ball goes
      • Repeat several times, then,
    • Drop the ball and hit it with one thigh, then the other thigh, and then catch it with your hands
      • Keep an eye on the ball and watch your one thigh, and then the other thigh, hits the ball
      • Repeat several times, then,
    • Drop the ball and see how many times a player can hit the ball with the thighs without the ball hitting the ground, then,
    • Drop the ball and kick it with your foot back up into your hands
      • Again, keep an eye on the ball and watch as your foot kicks the ball back up
        • Do not drop the ball and try to kick at the same time (many players do this), but wait for it to drop close to your foot before kicking it back up
      • Repeat several times, then
    • Drop the ball and kick it with one foot, then the other foot, and then catch it with your hands
      • Watch the ball get kicked with one foot and then the other foot, then,
    • Drop the ball and see how many times a player can hit the ball with the feet without the ball hitting the ground, then,
    • Drop the ball and see how many times a player can hit the ball with either the thighs or the feet without the ball hitting the ground
  • Give the players several tries and ask them to remember their high score
    • This is the score they will try to beat when they juggle from now on

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Ball Control & Shooting

Week 8 Soccer Practice Drills for U4, U5 & U6 Teams

Setup

Field 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

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Dribbling And Control

Week 7 Soccer Practice Drills for U10, U11 & U12 Teams

Drill 1 – Dribbling – 5 minutes

  • Dribble the ball anywhere within the field of play
  • Use the entire space
    • Do not let players bunch up
  • Keep the ball close to you while running
    • Can the players run and keep the ball under control
    • Players who are walking should be urged to run
    • Players who are running too fast should be urged to slow down in order to stay under control
  • Have the players perform some moves on your command
    • Stepover, Inside-out, Outside-in, Stop-and-go, Cruyff, Inside-inside (go here to find videos showing these moves)
  • Make sure the players are using both feet equally
  • Make sure the players keep their head up while dribbling
    • Safety – to see where they are going
    • Technique – to see where they could pass the ball to

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Ball Control & Shooting

Week 7 Soccer Practice Drills for U4, U5 & U6 Teams

Setup

Field 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

Continue reading