How to Organize a Soccer Practice

One of a soccer coach's biggest responsibilities is organizing the practices for his team. The sport of soccer demands constant conditioning and soccer teams need to have great chemistry on the field. Practice is very important.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Soccer equipment
• Whistle
• Soccer team

Organize Warm Ups and Conditioning

1. Set up a strict stretching session for the team prior to any activity. These sessions should last 15 minutes at the very minimum. Stretching will prevent injuries.
2. Have the players pass the soccer ball around for a while. You can have them pair up and kick the ball back and forth, you can put them all in a circle and have them pass the ball within it or you can come up with something of your own.
3. Make the team run sprints. The kind of endurance a soccer team needs is the ability to perform in fantastic bursts of energy at any given time. Sprints are good training for this.

Organize Practice Drills for Your Team

4. Run passing drills. Have the players pair up, then have each pair run down the field parallel to each other while passing a soccer ball back and forth. For more of a challenge, mix up the types of passes from "wall" to "rainbow."
5. Run dribbling drills. Have the players dribble a ball from one end of the field to the end and back as fast as they can. Or have players dribble a soccer ball through a series of cones.
6. Run shooting drills. Pair up offensive and defensive players one-on-one, with a lone goalie blocking the goal behind them. Run different variations teaching these skills.
7. Run throw-in drills. Have each player, one at a time, perform a few throw-ins. During a game, all players will find themselves needing this skill at least once.
8. Run corner kick drills. The corner kick is a very big part of a soccer game and your whole team should be proficient at it.

Organize Scrimmages for Your Team

9. End the practice with a scrimmage. This way, the players will get to use all of the skills that they worked on that day. Using these skills in a live scenario will engrave this knowledge in your players' minds.
10. Separate your team into two smaller groups. Keep the amount of defensive players and offensive players even in each group. Because teams will be smaller, run the scrimmage on a scaled-down field rather than one that is regulation size.

Tips & Warnings

• Pick up some good coaching tips and guidelines in books like "Coaching Soccer for Dummies" by the National Alliance for Youth Sports and Greg Bach (see Resources below). While primarily designed for coaches of youth teams, these books may be beneficial for coaching all age levels.