Drill 1 – Dribble and Juggle Boxes – 10 minutes

Setup

• Split the players into 2 teams
• Setup two 20×20 steps boxes
  • The boxes should be about 15 steps away from one another, if space allows for that
• Every player has a ball

Instruction

• Keep your head up when dribbling to switch between the boxes

Drill

• In one box, the players will juggle the ball
  • Repetition in trying to keep the ball from hitting the ground without using your hands
• In the other box, the players will dribble the ball
  • Every 20 to 30 seconds call out a different move they should perform

• When you say “Switch!” the players dribble into the opposing box and switch what they are doing
  • Switch about every minute
  • Make sure to remind players to keep their heads up as they dribble to avoid collisions

• The jugglers become dribblers
• The dribblers become jugglers

Drill 2 – Dribble and Move Boxes + Pass – 10 minutes

Setup

• Pair up the players so that each player in one box has a teammate in another box
• One ball per pair
• One box is a dribbling box
• The other box is a movement box
  • Players move just like they are dribbling, but are doing so without the ball

Instruction

• When passing the ball between the boxes, make sure to
  • Lift your head and make eye contact with your teammate
    • Do not just kick the ball into the other box and make the teammate go get it
  • Then pass the ball

Drill

• Players in one box dribble
• Players in the other box move without the ball

• When you say “Switch!” the passers make eye contact with their teammate in the other box and then pass the ball

• The movers now become dribblers
• The dribblers become movers

Drill 3 – Dribble and Move Boxes + Pass in the Air – 10 minutes

Instruction

• Show the players how to “lift”  the ball off of the ground to make a pass in the air
  • Approach the ball at an angle
    • Take 2 to 3 steps on the approach
  • Plant the non-kicking foot to the side and slightly behind the ball
  • Lock the ankle of the kicking foot so that the toes are pointing slightly to the outside
  • Kick the ball in the middle and below the center of the ball with the big bone between the top and the inside of your foot
    • This is the 1st factor to give the ball some lift
  • Lean back
    • This is the 2nd factor to give the ball some lift
  • Follow through with the kicking foot for power
    • Or stop the kicking foot from following through for a shorter “chip” pass

The same as Drill 2, except:

• The players will pass the ball in the air to their partner, rather than on the ground
• The coach will call a specific player so that one pass is happening at a time rather than a bunch of balls flying in the air and creating a mess that someone could get hurt from

Game 1 – Horse Shoe – 10 minutes

Setup

• Place a cone in the center of each box
• Keep the players paired up
• All of the balls are in 1 box to start the game

Game

• The coach calls a player’s name

• The player lifts a pass to the partner in the other box
• The pass can bounce only once
• The partner takes 1 touch to trap the ball so it stops as close as possible to the cone in the center of the box

• The coach calls the next player’s name, and so on until all of the balls are transferred into the receiving box
• The partners whose ball was the closest to the cone in the center of the box win the round
• Repeat going the other way
  • The receiving box becomes the passing box and vice-versa

Game 2 – Offense vs Defense – 20 minutes

Objective

• Attackers want to score on the big goal against a goalkeeper
• Defenders want to score on either of the small goals

Remember to reiterate all of the individual and team defending points covered previously

Setup

• Split players into two equal teams
• Put a goalkeeper in the big goal
• Offense is attacking the big goal
• Set up two small goals, one on each side, a few steps short of the halfway line and a few steps to the inside of the sideline
• All of the balls are in the center circle
  • In another variation, the balls can be in the goal, and the drill can start with the goalie punting the ball or a defender/goalie taking a goal kick to the attackers to control and then play
    • This variation can be challenging for younger players as it is sometimes difficult for them to control a punt

Game

• Start with a pass from the center circle each time any of the following happens:
  • Offense scores
  • Offense takes a shot and the goalkeeper saves it
  • Ball goes out of bounds
  • Defense scores on one of the small goals
• After winning possession of the ball, the defense should look to as quickly as possible do the following:
  • Get the ball out of wide
  • Move it down the sideline to score
• Switch who is on offense/defense after 10 minutes

End Practice

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