How to Run Soccer Drills

There are many kinds of drills a coach can run in soccer practice. There are a lot of different skills every soccer player needs to master, including dribbling, passing, shooting, throw ins and corner kicks. The best way to keep these skills sharp is a steady diet of practice and repetition.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Field
• Soccer balls
• Cones
• Whistle

Run Passing Drills

1. Run a basic pass drill. Set up cones in two parallel lines 10 to 20 yards apart. Have two players run along side these lines of cones while passing the soccer ball to each other between each set of cones. Have all players do this multiple times.
2. Run a wall pass drill. Have one player stand in place to one side. Then, have each other player take turns passing a ball to the stationary player. Each time, the stationary player will pass the ball back to the other players, but further down the field. Rotate this drill so each player has a turn being in the stationary role.
3. Run a throw-in drill. Have each player throw the ball in from the sideline to each of the other players. Have the receiving players trap the ball correctly and pass it back to the player that threw it in. Repeat this until all players complete the throwing role.

Run Dribbling Drills

4. Organize a relay race between two groups of players. Set up cones at one end of the field, then have one player of each team dribble a soccer ball as fast as they can to the cones and back. When one player returns to the group, the next player starts.
5. Set up at least 10 cones in a line 5 to 10 feet apart. Have each player take turns dribbling a ball in and out of these cones as if it were a ski slalom. This drill can be repeated a couple times.

Run Shooting Drills

6. Put the goal keeper in the goal. Then have each player take turns taking a shot at the goal. After each player has a turn, rotate where the players take the shot from. Have each player shoot at least one shot from inside the penalty box and one shot from outside it.
7. Run a corner kick drill. Each of your team members should take a turn making a corner kick. Meanwhile, the rest of your players can fill in as offensive and defensive players.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, there are more than just these basic soccer drills. If you feel like you're running out of ways to make your practices fresh, you can always pick up a book like "300 Innovative Soccer Drills: For Total Player Development" by Roger Wilkinson and Mick Critchell to breath new life into your practices (see Resources below).

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