Your U8 players can be exposed to the idea of learning the technical skills of attacking -- dribbling, passing, receiving and shooting -- as a first step on the road to understanding attacking tactics, which refers to their decision-making during the game. Tactics, which they will better understand as they get older, also involve working together with teammates per the coach's game plan. Attacking skills lead to goals, which U8 players love to score as much as older ones, so the team should be motivated to perform attacking drills.
Crossing on the Dribble
To develop dribbling skills, set up your team on a grid marked by plastic cones measuring 15 by 20 yards as recommended by US Youth Soccer's director of coaching, Sam Snow, in "Coaching Youth Soccer." Each player needs a ball. Split the players into two groups and have them stand on opposite touch lines, as the sideline is called in soccer. On your command, each player dribbles as fast as he can to the other touch line. The team first to clear all its balls on the other side wins one point.
Hot Shots
Move on to a shooting drill with "Hot Shots," also found in "Coaching Youth Soccer." Set up your U8 players for a 4v4 game played on a grid measuring 30 by 35 yards. Use a goal measuring 6 by 18 yards or smaller and time the game for five to seven minutes. Mark a half circle in front of the goal with plastic disks. You as coach designate one team to take a goal kick. The team that snags the goal kick attacks and is limited to shooting outside the half-circle, while the other defends. Players who step in the marked half-circle create a direct free kick from the spot of the step. Balls that roll into the half-circle go back into play with a kick-in.
Half In, Half Out
In "Survival Guide for Coaching Youth Soccer," author Lindsey Blom suggests Half In, Half Out to address accurate passing and receiving, and moving with and without the ball. Set up a grid measuring from 15 to 40 yards square, depending on your number of players. Split the players into red and blue teams, and place half the members of each team outside the grid, where they can support teammates on the inside. A red player in the grid can pass to a teammate inside or outside the grid. Encourage players to find a teammate inside or outside the grid, making quick decisions. After several minutes, swap the players on the inside and outside of the area.
Individual Attacking Scrimmage
You can close your U8 practice with a scrimmage, which wraps up your tactics drills into a lesson on finding and attacking open space and taking on players 1v1. Blom suggests marking a small field with plastic cones and setting up a two more pairs of goals 2 yards apart. Players scrimmage without goalkeepers on teams ranging from 3v3 to 7v7 depending on the skill level of your U8s. Award players a point for getting past an opponent by dribbling, one point for a goal and two points when a player dribbles the ball through the cone.
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