Setup

 

• Each player has a ball
• Set down cones to make a 50×40 steps field for 12 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 – Juggling – 5 minutes

• Juggle 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 2 – Dribbling – 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
• Every 30 seconds or so, ask players to perform one of 4 moves learned during Week 1, Week 2, or Week 3
  • Stop-and-Go move
  • Inside-Out move
  • Step Over move
  • Inside-Inside move

Drill 3 – Switch – 5 minutes

• As the players are dribbling, you yell “Switch!”
  • Players stop the ball they are dribbling dead with the bottom of their foot
  • Players then go find another ball to dribble
    • They cannot dribble the ball they just stopped
  • Once they find a ball players dribble again until you yell “Switch!” again

Drill 4 – Follow the Leader – 5 minutes

• Pair up the players
  • Each player has a ball
• One of the partners dribbles anywhere within the field of play, using any part of the foot, and performing any move
  • The partner follows close behind using the same part of the foot and performing the same moves
• Switch the leader every 75 seconds

Game 1 – Coach “Knockout” – 5 minutes

Setup

• Set up 1 large box within the field of play
  • About 25 x 25 steps
• Each player has a ball inside of the box
• The coach is inside of the box without a ball

Game

• Players dribble inside of the box
• Coach tries to kick the players’ balls out of the box
  • Players can either use a move or shield the ball to keep it away from the coach
• If the coach manages to kick the player’s ball out of the box, the player runs to get the ball and brings it back inside of the box

Game 2 – Player “Knockout” – 5 minutes

Same as Game 1 above, except:

• The coach is not a part of this game
• The players have to both protect their ball from getting kicked out and try to kick other players’ balls out
  • The players may not leave their ball unattended to go kick another player’s ball out
  • They have to stay in control of their ball
• When a ball gets knocked out of the box, the player runs to get it and brings it back in to keep playing

Drill 5 – Trap and Pass Back – about 8 minutes with setup

• 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
• Both outside 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

• An outside player passes the ball to the player in the middle
• The player in the middle traps the ball, 1 to 2 steps in front, and passes it back to the outside, taking 2 touches

• 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

• 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 plays the ball back in 2 touches, 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 6 – Turn and Pass to Other Side – 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

• 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

• The player in the middle turns with the ball

• 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 3 – Scrimmage – 15 minutes

• Place goals on the endlines of your field
• For the first half of the remaining time, demand that 3 passes be made on a possession before a team can score
• For the last 7 to 8 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

 

End Practice

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