Ball Control & Shooting

Week 8 Soccer Practice Drills for U10, U11 & U12 Teams

Drill 1 – Dribble and Juggle Boxes – 10 minutes

Setup

Dribble and Juggle Box 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

Dribble and Juggle Box 1

  • 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

Dribble and Juggle Box 2

  • 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

Dribble and Juggle Box 3

  • The jugglers become dribblers
  • The dribblers become jugglers

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

Setup

Dribble and Move Box 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

Dribble and Move Box 1

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

Dribble and Move Box 2

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

Dribble and Move Box 3

  • The movers now become dribblers
  • The dribblers become movers

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

Instruction

Simon Cox chips the ball forward

Simon Cox chips the ball forward

  • 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

Horse Shoe 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

Horse Shoe 1

  • 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

Horse Shoe 2

  • 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

Offense vs Defense 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”!

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