Setup

• Each player has a ball
• Set down cones to make a 60×50 steps field for 18 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

Drill 1 – 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)

Drill 2 – 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

Drill 3 – about 8 minutes with setup

Setup: 3 lines of players; Outside players facing one another about 20 yards apart; Outside players with the ball; Inside player without the ball

• Split the players into groups of 3
  • If the numbers do not work out, you can make one or two groups of 4
• Create two lines, about 20 yards apart
• 2 of the 3 players will stand on these two lines, facing each other
• Each of the two players will have a ball at their feet
  • The 3rd player will be somewhere in the middle of the 2 lines, without a ball
    • For groups of 4 there will be two players in the middle

1. Outside player passes the ball to the inside player 2. Inside player traps the ball 3. Inside player passes the ball back to the outside player

• An outside player passes the ball to the player in the middle
• The player in the middle traps, one to two steps in front, and pass it back to the outside, taking 2 touches

The player in the middle turns to face the other outside player

• The player in the middle turns to face the other outside player
  • For groups of 4, the two inside players will just switch the direction they are facing in after every pass back

1. Outside player passes the ball to the inside player 2. Inside player traps the ball 3. Inside player passes the ball back to the outside player

• The other outside player passes the ball in and the same is repeated
  • For groups of 4, both of the outside players pass the ball back every time because they have two players in the middle
• Inside player turns again and keeps going for a minute
• Switch the middle player with one of the outside players
• Go for a minute then switch again so that the player who has not been in the middle yet gets to be in that role
  • For groups of 4, this becomes the 2nd time in the middle for two players
• Repeat each player being in the middle for another minute so that everyone gets at least two turns in the middle

Drill 4 – about 7 minutes

Take a minute to demonstrate turning with the ball

• As you receive a pass, instead of trapping the ball a step or two in front of you, cradle it under you with the inside of your foot
• Turn your body to the direction you want to take the ball in
• Push the ball in that same direction as your body turns

Setup: 3 lines of players;  Outside players facing one another about 20 yards apart;  One outside player with the ball;  Other two players without a ball

• Working in your groups of 3 and 2 lines from the previous drill
  • This time only one player out of the three (one of the ones on the outside) will have a ball

The player with the ball passes it to the player in the middle, who cradles it with the inside of the foot

• The player with the ball passes it to the player in the middle

The player in the middle turns with the ball, pushes it forward slightly to prepare for a pass

• The player in the middle turns with the ball

1. Player in the middle passes the ball to the outside player; 2. Outside player traps the ball; 3. Outside player passes it back to the inside player, who then turns with it and goes to the other side

• The player in the middle passes the ball to the player on the other line
• The player in the middle gets the ball back from the outside, turns with it, and passes it to the other side
• Keep going for a minute and then switch players
  • The player in the middle switches with one of his teammates on an outside line
• Go for a minute and switch again
  • The player who has not been in the middle yet goes
• Go for a minute again
• Repeat each player being in the middle for a second time for another minute

Game 1 – Keepaway – 10 minutes

• Split the players into two equal teams
  • Provide one of the teams with pennies, the other will wear their regular shirts
• Play keepaway in the field of play for 10 minutes
  • The objective is to keep possession of the ball
  • There are no directions involved as there are no goals set up
• Completing 5 passes in a row equals scoring a goal
• If players are just dribbling and not passing impose a 3-touch limit to force them to pass the ball

Game 2 – Scrimmage – 15 minutes

• Place goals on the endlines of your field and turn the keepaway game into a scrimmage
• For the first 5 to 7 minutes, demand that 3 passes be made on a possession before a team can score
• For the last 8 to 10 minutes, take away that restriction
  • Introduce the touch limits again if players start to hold on to the ball too long, or dominant players don’t pass the ball to the less dominant ones

Drill – Turn and Shoot – 10 minutes

• Demonstrate proper shooting technique
  • Run up to the ball, lock your ankle, lean forward so your chest is over the ball, and shoot using either:
    • The inside of your foot to place the ball into the goal (more accuracy less power)
    • The laces to shoot the ball harder (more power less accuracy)

• Put a goalkeeper in the big goal
  • If you don’t have a goal to work with, place two cones/bags/shirts about 8 big steps apart
    • Give the goalkeeper the same instructions as you would on gameday

• Split players into 2 lines
  • The shooting line is behind a cone located about 20 yards away from the goal, in the middle of the field
  • The passing line is another 10 to 15 yards behind the shooting line and has all of the balls

• Player in the passing line passes the ball to the one in the shooting line

• The shooter turns with the ball, and takes a touch towards the goal to prepare for a shot

• The shooter shoots the ball
• The shooter retrieves the ball and takes it to the back of the passing line
• The passer joins the back of the passing line
• Keep going for about 10 minutes

End Practice

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