Dribbling And Control

Week 2 Soccer Practice Drills for U10, U11 & U12 Teams

Setup

Field 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 Passbacks

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
3 set Passback Step 1

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
3 set Turn Without Ball

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
3 set Passback Step 2

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 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
3 set Turn With Ball Step 1

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
3 Set Turn With Ball

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
3 set Turn With Ball and Pass It Off

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

Turn and Shoot Setup

  • 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

Turn and Shoot Pass

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

Turn and Shoot Turn

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

Turn and Shoot 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”!

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