U-8 Boys' Soccer Drills

Boys aged 6 and 7 qualify to play U-8 soccer. Typically boys in this age category are very new to the game of soccer but more than willing to chase after the smaller size 3 ball used for U-8s and try to give it a kick. If your league is too small to separate boys and girls, drills that work for boys also work for coed teams. Drills for U-8 boys need to focus on improving teamwork, generally a strong suit for girls more so than boys, as well as build on boys' natural inclination to get the ball and score goals, note the authors of "The Parent's Complete Guide to Soccer."

Island Dribble

Each boy has a ball in a confined space while you as the coach challenge the children with different dribbling styles. This activity develops dribbling, vision and body control, notes "The Novice Coach," a DVD put out by US Youth Soccer with drills for U-8 players. Set up a 15-by-20-yard grid rectangle with boundaries marked by plastic disks and call it the island, saying that players who go outside will fall into the ocean. Ask players what parts of the feet they can use to dribble, and upon the players' response, such as inside of the foot, the toes, the outside, have all players dribble within the island with that part of the foot.

Shoot for the Shoes

The American Youth Soccer Organization recommends this drill to teach boys how to throw in the ball. On your 15-by-20-yard grid, mark three zones running the long way. Have three teams of three players, one on either side of the grid and one group of moving targets in the middle zone. On your yell of "go," the throwers on one sideline attempt to hit the targets in the feet with a thrown ball. Players on the opposite side gather balls that didn't hit a target and repeat the throw. A player gets one point for each hit below the waist for a legal throw-in, and the first team to 10 points wins.

Mad House

This AYSO drill works on dribbling, passing, attacking and defending. Play on a U-8 field measuring 30 by 35 yards with cones to mark the halfway line and small portable goals at each end. Place half the team on each end line, each boy with a soccer ball and a colored team pinny. You direct which team goes first on offense. That team swarms toward the opposite goal attempting to shoot and score. If the defending team gets possession, it tries to score in the other team's goal. The team that scores the most points wins. You can repeat Mad House four times.

4v4 Scrimmage

Teach rules of the game as part of a 4v4 scrimmage following the drills, recommends "The Novice Coach." Play on a U-8 field as in the previous drill. Divide the players into groups of eight. Place yellow pinnies or practice vests on four of the players and orange ones on the other four. Show the boys on one team how to kick off at the center circle and how to pass to a teammate and show the other team where to stand to defend against goals. Allow play to continue until the ball goes into the goal or out of bounds. Teach the boys how to take a goal kick if the ball goes out of bounds over the goal line and a throw-in if it goes out over the touch line, the soccer term for sideline. Blow the whistle if a boy fouls another player.