A popular sport worldwide, soccer continues to make strides in the United States, where in 2010 nearly 20 million people watched the U.S. men's national team play in the World Cup match against Ghana. Youth players, the backbone of the soccer's U.S. popularity, learn the sport via drills that mimic situations likely to occur in games.
Weak-foot Passing
One of the primary challenges for developing soccer players is being able to aim passes and shots with their weaker foot. Line up two players 10 yards apart and have them pass the ball back and forth without using their strong foot.
Runs and Sprints
Have your players conduct distance runs and sprints. Though this isn't a skill-related drill, it builds vital endurance in a sport that requires a great deal of it because of the non-stop running involved.
Four Corners
Line up your team in lines to form a 40-by-40 foot square. Alternately have players standing across from one another dribble toward their opposing player. They'll need to avoid crashing into each other, which reinforces the need to dribble with your head up, rather than focused on the ball.
Quick Tap
Players start with the ball between their feet. On the sound of the whistle, they tap the ball back and forth from one foot to the other, and whoever gets to a cone 20 yards away first is the winner. This promotes quick feet and ball control.
Monkey in the Middle
A classic schoolyard game, "monkey in the middle" is also an effective skill-builder. Have your players form a square with one or two defenders located in the middle. The outside players must pass the ball back and forth though the circle without having it stolen, building both passing and defensive scrambling skills.
Goalie Scramble
A soccer goaltender must be able to quickly dive after oncoming shots. Have her stand in goal and have two players take alternate quickly taking shots, forcing her to adjust to various angles and learn to quickly recover and go after rebound put-back shots.
Throw In and Trap
This drill teaches proper technique in both throw-ins and trapping the ball after a throw in. Have players partner up and take turns throwing the ball with standard behind-the-head throw-in form, with the receiving player stopping and trapping the ball with his feet.
Soccer Tennis
Have either two players, or four players with two per side, face off on a tennis court. Players are allowed two touches to get the ball back over the net to the other team. Otherwise, the rules remain the same as they are in standard tennis. This game that develops passing and receiving skills.
Cone Dribble Relay
Form teams of two players apiece and set up two cones 15 feet apart. Players must dribble from the starting cone to the second one. As soon as they turn the corner, they may pass the ball to their teammate. The team that scores the quickest time doing any pre-determined number of relays is the winner.
Hit the Coach
This is a game suitable for younger players. Line up the whole team side by side 5 feet to 10 feet from the coach, who runs away slowly as players dribble after him and shot the ball, attempting to hit him. Each time a player hits the coach, he's awarded a point.
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