Drills offer your youth players a foundation for skills they will need in scrimmages and real games. Make sure that each player has a ball and plenty of opportunity to work with it. Aim for at least 200 touches per practice, recommend David and Kay Huddleston of the Youth Soccer Drills online site. Keep score to convert the drills into contests in their own right, and praise hustle, improvement and good attitude, the Huddlestons recommend.
Ouch!
Bound to bring out the mischievous side of your players, "Ouch!" introduces dribbling, looking up and striking the ball at a target, according to SoccerXpert.com. Set up cones marking an area 20 by 30 yards long for this drill, aimed at U6 (under 6) to U8 (under 8) players. Invite all the team members to enter the area. Jog around the grid and let the players try to kick the balls so they bounce off you, the coach. Yell "ouch!" each time they succeed. Call out parts of the foot to use for their passes, such as inside, outside, top and sole, to encourage them to master new foot skills.
Runaround
Peter Schreiner writes in "Coaching Youth Soccer" that "Runaround" can be played for any age or skill level, and also is adaptable to indoor or outdoor spaces. Set up six cones to mark a large rectangular area and its midfield line. The halves of the area comprise Zone A and Zone B. Divide your players into two lines at the back of each zone. The first player in Zone A drop-volleys the ball with his instep, the "laces" of his shoes, over the center line at least head high. The first player in the line waiting toward the back of Zone B runs forward to catch the ball and then drop-volleys it back to Zone A. Start each player with two to 10 points and deduct a point for each dropped ball. Players drop out when they lose their points, and the last two players win. For variations, have the players trap the ball with their foot, thigh or head. The exercise works on conditioning and learning how to send the ball ahead with a powerful kick.
Killer Whale
Suitable for U6 to U10 players, "Killer Whale" works on dribbling and shielding the ball. Create a large circle with cones, recommends New Hampshire-based soccer coach Bill Eaton of the website Coaching Soccer 101. Have four to 14 players inside the circle dribbling. One or two of the players wear pinneys and are the designated "killer whales." They try to kick as many soccer balls outside the circle as they can. Each ball that goes out counts as one point. The goal of the other players is to protect the ball by shielding it with their bodies. If their ball gets kicked out, they retrieve it and continue dribbling. Change up who gets to be a killer whale. The player who kicks out the most balls wins.
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