Coaches have access to thousands of soccer drills. Entire books devote themselves to drill ideas for levels from beginner to older youth and advanced players -- with tables indicating which are the best for pregame warmups. If you attend a professional, semi-pro or collegiate game, you'll see each team take the field and go through a number of routines to warm up. You can emulate players such as David Beckham and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammates by selecting soccer drills best designed to get you ready for the starting whistle.
First-Defender Warmup
This drill provides a pregame warmup and can also be used for skills training of proper defensive technique. Mark half the field with cones and provide one ball for every two players, suggests Lindsey Blom in "Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer." All players jog within the marked area, with the half of group with balls also dribbling. On your command of "go," players with the ball pass to teammates who are at least 7 yards away. The player who passes the ball follows it to defend the receiver, who dribbles in the direction of the passer. After three steps of such dribbles, each player jogs off in a different direction until the next "go" command
1v1 to the Goal
The purpose of 1v1 to the Goal is to work on the correct stance of the defender and proper tackling, Blom writes. Line up half your players next to the goal and the others at a cone above the penalty box in the middle of one half of the field. Place your goalkeeper in the goal and a supply of balls with the players lined up near goal. The first player in the goal line kicks a ball out to the first player in the line near the cone and runs to defend that player. The ballhandler tries to score by getting past the defender and goalkeeper. Have each player go to the end of the other line after his turn.
Counterclockwise Half-field
Colin E. Schmidt in "Advanced Soccer Drills" recommends a more intricate half-field drill to practice passing, receiving and shooting. Players form two lines, one to the side of the penalty area and the other near the midfield line. The goalkeeper stands ready with a supply of balls and begins by throwing the ball ahead of the first person in line near the penalty area. This player traps the ball and passes it into the center, where the first player from the midfield line gathers the ball and shoots from outside the penalty area. Players switch lines after each turn, Schmidt notes. As a variation, have the passing player chip the ball to the middle.
Catching Volleys
Get your goalkeeper used to warming up away from the goal, recommends coach Tim Mulqueen in "The Complete Soccer Goalkeeper," as the field may not always be available, especially at a tournament. For the Catching Volleys drill, place two cones 5 yards apart to serve as a goal. Stand the goalkeeper between the cones and direct two servers to stand 6 yards in front of each cone with a supply of balls. Have server 1 send a chest-high volley to the keeper, who saves the volley and shuffles quickly across the face of the cones to block another volley from server 2. After 10 volleys, repeat the exercise with drop kicks and shots taken from the ground.
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