EFFECTIVELY COACHING SOCCER DRILLS

Be prepared before the practice starts. Have all the equipment you need ready and set up your practice grids before the team arrives.

1. Stand in a position where all players can hear you and explain the objective of the drill and key coaching points very briefly.
2. Have volunteers demonstrate the drill and make corrections until they get it right. Demonstrate yourself only if necessary.
3. Ask players for anything they might not have understood and clarify.
4. Stand outside of the drill area, not in the middle.
5. Observe players and see if they can solve any issues by themselves.
6. If you need to correct, stop the drill, very briefly explain/demonstrate what went wrong and how to correct it.
7. Praise players for correcting it.
8. Observe again.
9. If the group is successful and there is time left, increase the complexity to keep players challenged. For example, ask to execute drill at a higher speed or to a higher level of perfection, or both.
10. For a 15-20 minute drill, the coach must not take more than 3 minutes with explanations and demonstrations. A lot of coaches take the large part of drill time and don't give the players a chance.
11. The coach shouldn't be sweating and be tired, the players must be.

GOOD SOCCER DRILL DESIGN

Soccer drills must fit the theme of your entire practice session and integrate from beginning to end of practice.

1. Start with setting an objective for your soccer practice session
2. Pick themes for the drills to fit the objective. For example, if your theme is passing, incorporate passing drills into the warm-up, technical, fitness, tactical and scrimmage parts of your session.
3. Sequence the drills so that they connect as in point (2) above.
4. Plan for equipment needed to run the soccer drill, such as cones and number of balls required. (Tip: the ideal mix for cones is 11 of colour A, 8 of colour B and six of colour C)
5. Plan for breaking players into small groups based on positions and how they will interact on the field. Example is right defender, right midfielder and right forward, or defenders as a group, etc.
6. Visualize the drill with your players in it.
7. Have the soccer drill written on a piece of paper with notes for coaching points, progression, groupings of players.

DEFINING EFFECTIVE SOCCER DRILLS

Excellent and effective soccer drills must meet the following criteria:

1. Soccer drills must support the theme of the practice session
2. Soccer drills must be targeted in complexity towards the age group and the competitive level of your team and players. They must motivate the players. Young kids need fun motivational games, older and more competitive players need more challenging exercises being motivated by accomplishment and competition.
3. Soccer drills must be easy to explain and demonstrate.
4. Soccer drills must be designed for the space and equipment available.
5. Soccer drills must be adaptable as the players go through them to add or reduce the complexity.
6. Soccer drills must always show improvement in players performance from beginning to the end of the drill.
7. Soccer drills must be relevant to game situations and players must easily understand how they can translate what they learned to a game. You can test this in the end-of-practice scrimmage.
8. Soccer drills must keep players' attention and interest and must keep players moving with a ball as much as possible.
9. Soccer drills must allow for progression of difficulty if the players catch on quickly.
10. Soccer drills must end on a successful note for the players.

Soccer free kick (3)

Chip Far Post
A read herring is when something is used to get people off track, or pull their attention to something else. This is like the chip far post. The chip to the far post when everyone thinks you’re going to strike the ball on goal directly, but instead you send the ball in like a cross. Even trying to head the ball across the goal mouth after the chip is a good idea, pulls the keeper to the far post and leaves the front of the goal exposed to your on rushing team.

Over the Wall Chip
The chip over the wall to a player (your teammate) who’s standing in the wall) – this player spins and strikes the ball. There must be enough space behind the wall though for this to work. Usually helps to overload the far post with players to drag as many players to that zone as possible – and disguise the play.

Shoe Tie
A player bends down as if they’re going to tie their shoe. Another player comes over to survey the scene so to speak, standing right next to the player tying their shoe. Another player stays behind the ball ready to shoot – but looking down at the person tying their shoe, not looking like they’re going to shoot. Player who’s tying their shoe then pokes the ball through the player’s legs who’s come over to help, the player at the top of the ball strikes the ball on goal – hopefully surprising the other team. The ball played through the legs gives the shooter more of an opening as it’s now a way from the wall.

Bricks in the Wall
This is where you post two or three players at the edge of the wall, to shield the ball from the keeper and where the ball is going. It can become a battle though, as the other team will fight to keep your players out of the wall. Teammates in the wall are also good targets. If you can pick out the head a teammate they can duck when you take the kick.

Soccer free kick (2)

Single Screen
One player stands in front of the ball and the player at the top of the ball runs up and strikes the ball. Keeper won’t see the ball until the last second. Hopefully when it’s too late to reach the ball.

Quick Kick
The quick free kick before the keeper and the wall have are set. Make sure the referee hasn’t said they’re going to blow their whistle before the kick can be taken.

Double Screen
This is where two players stand in front of the ball so the keeper can’t see who’s taking the free kick or where the ball is going until the last minute.

Split Stance
Two players line up at the ball and the keeper or the wall doesn’t know who will take the kick or how the ball will bend. Usually two players stand in front of the ball, one on the left side, ready to take the ball with their right foot. And then the other player on the right side, ready to take the kick with their left foot.

Power
The hard kick or rocket shot to force the goalie to make a save and the rest of the team charges the goal mouth looking for the keeper to drop the ball. Purely want to make sure the shot is on target.

The Trailer
The pass to another player at the top of the box. Two players on the ball, one to the side, and one directly behind the ball, and then another player sort of trailing the play. This player sneaks up about ten or so yards away even with the free kick taker, say at the top of the box, just before the kick is taken. Player on the side runs up as if they’re going to shoot, but plays a square ball to the trailing player who now has a clear shot at goal away from the wall.

Soccer free kick (1)

Simple Pass
The pass to one player who stops it with the top of his foot and then moves out of the way so the kicker can strike it. The player is screening the ball but also enables the shooter to get a better angle around the wall by passes it a few yards. May pass the ball just a yard or two but to the side of the wall so the player can hit it dead on. This is often used for an indirect free kick, where another player has to touch the ball.

Fake Shot
One or two players run over the ball as if they’re going to strike it, peeling off to the sides, as the chosen player then takes the shot. The keeper and the wall don’t know who’s going to end up taking the kick.

The Dance
Two players shield the ball and one player runs through as if they’re going to strike the ball, the fourth player then ends up taking the kick. So two players screen the ball, one player runs through them as they peel off, and the fourth player strikes the ball.

Sole Stop
Three players total are involved. One player, on the side, plays the ball to a player a few yards away, who stops the ball with the top of their foot (sole of their foot), and then the player in the center ends up striking the ball. The keeper doesn’t know if the first player is going to hit it or the player in the center.

Three Pronged
Three pronged approach. Players on the left, right and then in the center. The keeper has a hard time picking a side to lean to or anticipate diving to when he doesn’t know who’s going to take it. Picture Beckham, Giggs, and Rooney standing around the ball, one on the left, one on the right and then one at the top of the ball. Not a pleasant site for a keeper to see.

Sample Soccer (Football) Warm up

1. As players arrive, start off with a light game of keep away. (Until 15 minutes before game or practice begins)

2. All players jog around half the field and slowly pick up the pace. They then jog the ends and add in some skipping, high knees, kicking up behind and shuffling. Finish off with sprinting. (3 minutes)

3. Static stretching held for 10 seconds in each position, each position held twice. (2 minutes)

4. Soccer tennis or obstacle course. (4 minutes)

5. Second round of stretching held for 15 seconds in each position, each position held once. May incorporate dynamic stretching if appropriate. (2 minutes)

6. Three-man weaves or man in the middle. (4 minutes)