Drill 1 – Juggling – 5 minutes

• Juggle the ball for 5 minutes
  • The objective is to keep the ball from falling to the ground using your feet, thighs, shoulders, or head. Give the players 5 minutes to see how many touches they can get without the ball falling to the ground.
    • Players should remember their high score
    • Keep the high score to themselves. In future practices they will try to improve on this high score
  • Coach sets up the next set of drills while the players juggle

Drill 2 – Follow Your Pass – 5 minutes

Setup

• Create groups of 5-to-6 players
• One ball per group
• Players form a circle
  • About 15 steps in diameter
  • You may use cones to help them, but they are not necessary
• One player is in the center of the circle
  • This player starts with the ball

Instruction

• Follow your pass

Drill

• The player in the center of the circle passes the ball to a teammate on the outside of the circle
  • Replace the teammate the ball was passed to on the outside of the circle
• That teammate traps the ball and dribbles it to the center of the circle
  • Replace the teammate in the center of the circle

• The teammate passes the ball to another player on the outside of the circle
  • Replace the teammate the ball was passed to on the outside of the circle
• That teammate traps the ball, dribbles it to the center of the circle, and passes to the outside
  • Replace the teammate in the center of the circle

• Keep going for 5 minutes

 

Drill 3 – Pass and Replace the Run – 5 minutes

Setup

Same as Drill 2

Instruction

• Pass and move to another spot on the circle

Drill

• The player in the center of the circle passes the ball to a teammate on the outside of the circle
  • After the pass, the player from the center runs to a different teammate on the outside of the circle
  • This teammate then replaces the player in the center of the circle
• The teammate whom the ball was passed to traps the ball

• The player with the ball passes it back to the center
• The teammate who replaced the center player traps the ball

• The player now in the center passes it to a teammate on the outside of the circle, then runs towards a different teammate on the outside of the circle
  • The teammate that the center player is running to replaces the center player
• Keep going for 5 minutes

 

Drill 4 – Group Keepaway – 5 minutes

Setup

Same as Drills 2 and 3, except:

• Reduce the groups to 4 players per group
  • Create 1 more group by taking a player away from each group
  • Clearly indicate each group by handing them different color training vests
• Take the ball away from 1 group
  • It is probably easiest to not give a ball to the newly formed group

Instruction

• Keep the ball away from the defending group
• HINT: The defending group is likely to break up and go after multiple groups with the ball
  • The smart thing to do is to work together to steal 1 ball, then to break up and try to steal 2 or 3 balls
  • It is up to you when you want to provide this hint to the players
    • It might be useful to let them make the mistake 1st to demonstrate the coaching point

Drill

• The groups that have the balls try to retain possession of them
  • The players in the groups pass the ball between each other
  • The groups can move to any area of the field and don’t have to stay in the same spot
• The group that does not have the ball tries to steal one and thus force another group to be the defending group
  • If it succeeds, it tries to maintain possession of that ball, and the group that lost it has to regroup and steal a ball

 

Game 1 – Scrimmage (Switch the Field – Goalies) – 10 minutes

Setup

• Make 4 5×5 steps boxes in the corners of your field
• Designate 4 players who will stand in those boxes
  • They will be the “goalies” for the purposes of this drill
• Split the rest of the players into 2 equal teams
• The teams can attack in any direction

Instruction

• Get the ball to the goalies in the boxes to earn points
  • Goalies can use hands
    • HINT: It will be easier to get the ball to them if you “lift” it into them
• HINT: Switching the field is going to help your team score

Game

• Players try to get the ball to the goalies

• The team that succeeds in getting the ball to a goalie retains possession
  • The goalie looks to pass/throw the ball back to the team that just scored
• Switch goalies every few minutes

 

Game 2 – Scrimmage (Switch the Field – Goals) – 10 minutes

Setup

Same as Game 1, except:

• Take away the boxes in the corners and place 4 small goals in their place
• Integrate the 4 goalies into the 2 teams
• The teams now attack in just one direction
  • Same as regular scrimmage, but there are 2 goals to shoot on

Instruction

• Score a goal
• HINT: Switching the field will help your team score

Game

• Score on 1 of the 2 goals that your team is attacking

 

Game 3 – Scrimmage – 15 minutes

Setup

• Take away a goal on each side
  • There is now just 1 goal on each side, on the center of the endlines, as in a regular scrimmage
• Play soccer

Instruction

• Keep encouraging players to switch the field

Game

• Score a goal

 

End Practice – 5 minutes

• Thank the players for the wonderful season and praise them for everything they learned
  • Dribbling, trapping, passing, shooting, and defending
• Team cheer
  • 1,2,3 Go “team name”!