Youth soccer drills should teach the fundamental skills of the game, but retain an emphasis on fun and enjoyment. Young players learn best in a competitive environment that they find enjoyable. A lot of the fun during a youth soccer drill comes from the way you teach and run the drill. As a coach, maintain an upbeat tone throughout, and lead the soccer practice with energetic body language.
Keep Your Yard Clean
This youth soccer drill focuses on passing and lets players practice their passing skills under no defensive pressure. Create two 20- to 40-yard boxes directly next to each other, with teams of approximately five players in each box. Each soccer player has a ball to start the game and must start in his own box. Upon the coach's whistle, each player passes his ball into the opposition box. The game then continues with each team passing balls out of its box as quickly as possible. When the coach ends the game after three to five minutes, the team with the fewest balls in its box is the winner. Play a number of rounds, and award a point to the winning team in each round. During the drill, encourage the correct technique and enforce a rule that all balls must be below knee height. Increase accuracy by adding goals to pass through and deducting a point for a ball that goes out of bounds.
Stampede
Stampede is a fun youth soccer drill that focuses on the technique of dribbling. A defender also works on defending during this game. Play in a 20-yard box, and start with two defenders. Attacking players have a ball each and line up with their ball at one edge of the box. On the coach's whistle, the dribbling players dribble the ball across the box and stop their ball on the end line directly opposite. The defensive players try to tackle the balls away and roll them out of bounds. When a player has her ball taken away, she becomes a defender. The last player dribbling is declared the winner. Encourage dribbling players to look up between touches and dribble away from defensive pressure.
World Cup Shootout
Have two teams with four players on each team. The players are numbered one through four and stand on the goal line 5 yards wide of the goal post. Team A lines up to the left of the goal, and team B lines up to the right; the coach plays goalkeeper. The coach begins the game by rolling the ball directly in front 15 to 20 yards away and calling a number between one and four. The player with that number from each team runs out, and the players go head to head in a one-on-one competition to goal. This youth soccer drill works on attacking, defending and shooting on goal.
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