Today marks my first attempt at blogging and I hope you enjoy the weekly (hopefully more) installments I put on the blog. Everything here will be soccer related - coaching, matches, or just musings.
Last week marked the beginning of my sons' soccer seasons at the NTC (National Training Center) in Clermont, FL. As their coach this year (U6 and U10), I have decided to post sample practices each week for you to see and comment on.
The first installment of these drills will be for all youth levels and are great skills to teach your players at the beginning (first 5-15 minutes) of each training session. The skill covered today will be on changing direction with the ball off the dribble to create space. Some will be too advanced for the very young (U4), but others can be used by all levels. By the way, I also use these same skills at the high school level, but reduce time and add pressure on the more elite players.
When I was a kid, these moves were referred to as Coerver Drills, named after the famous Dutch coach, Wiel Coerver. They focus on getting the player comfortable with manipulating the ball with all parts of the foot and creating "muscle-memory" so that they can be done without thinking in pressure situations.
Sample Practice - Changing Direction - U6 (all players with a ball)
- Mr Freeze - Set up a confined area and have players dribble around and "freeze" when you point at them. Freezes should be with bottom of foot. Variations: dribble with only one foot
- Boo! - Teach the pull back (see video above). After players are "comfortable" with it, have them dribble in a confined area with cones randomly scattered throughout. Tell the players to go up to a cone (a sleeping goblin) and stop the ball with the bottom of their foot, yell "Boo!", and then pull back and accelerate away. Variation: coach becomes a walking goblin and confronts players.
- Goblin Soccer - In a larger grid, put 1/2 the players one one side of the square and the other 1/2 on the oppposite side. 1 or 2 coaches ("Goblins") in the middle. Players are supposed to dribble across to the other side, but if a coach lumbers toward them, they have to execute a pull back turn and go back to safety line. Variation: if coach tags a players, they freeze and have to be tagged by another player before they can continue.
- Red Light, Green Light, U-Turn - variation of the popular game. Same larger grid as above; all players on one side. Coach calls out green light (dribble), red light (stop with bottom of foot), or U-turn (pull back move). If any player takes more than 2 seconds to execute command, they "crash" and fall down on the field dramatically.
- Two Many Choices (for more advanced players) - 2 players start out in middle of grid with two small goals on opposite sides of grid. One player with ball (attacker); other player facing him/her without a ball (defender). On coach's command, attacker dribbles toward either goal, with defender pursuing. If defender gets position, attacker can change direction and dribble toward other goal. Go for 15-30 seconds (depending on players) or until a goal is scored.
Sample Practice - Changing Direction - U10 (all players with a ball)
1. Land Mines - scatter cones around a confined grid; teach players the 3 moves above in video and have them practice dribbling around and going at a cone (defender) and executing each of the
moves. If they touch a cone, they "blow up" and have to yell "boom!" and do a star jump.
2. Relays - Set up lanes with 3 or 4 cones and split players into lines of no more than 3 per line (to reduce down time). Variation #1 - players run without ball, and go around each cone and then race back and tag; Variation #2 - Each player performs a ladder run, going to each cone, executing a move, going back to start line, and then repeating to each cone. Next player begins when ball is stopped on start line with bottom of foot; Variation #3 - Player 1 takes a ball from the start line and places it on each cone, next player then runs out and retrieves each ball and places it on the start line, and continue cycle until last player goes.
3. Run the Gauntlet - In the middle of same lanes above, one player on start line with a ball, and one player in each grid. Player with ball has to dribble successfully through all of the grids without going out of bounds or getting ball kicked away/stolen by each defender.
x x x x
P1/ball --> Def Def
x x x x
4. Small Sided Game - Instead of goals to shoot on, create end zones that players have to dribble into and stop the ball with the bottom of foot for a "goal". First team to 5 wins; losers pick up the field.
