Soccer Drills

This is about player communication and reaction to that. The problem is that the overlapping support player will be coming from behind so it is not always easy to react in that situation when a pass elsewhere has already been chosen.

First of all the support player, who has either made the first pass then made the overlapping run or has overlapped as an attacking option, should be communicating that he/she is making the run. A call of 'HOLD' would indicate to the player that an overlap is coming or 'DAISY'S OUTSIDE' would let the player know where the support is. 

Now we are relying on the player in possession to make a pass into the run of the overlapping player or if the defending team has reacted to the move, there will be space in the center where the defenders have moved from. Now the player on the ball either uses the overlap as a decoy or passes down the line.

Great for teams that play out from the back.

Getting player to recognise where space is and where players are moving – team mates and the opposition – is all about players scanning before they receive or before they pass the ball. Youth players can sometimes lose the ball because they see space and move into it only to lose the ball to a player who has come from behind.

A quick look up and shoulder check before receiving the ball helps identify any possible dangers to moving into the space.

Small-sided games are ideal for this as there is a lot of passing and receiving where body position to receive and to scan the pitch becomes key to success. Play at a high tempo so they are having to scan the pitch without time to think about what they are doing.

This is a player decision. For players to make the right one, it is down to lots of practice making it instinct for players to recognise the trigger signs that sends a message to their brain telling them there is space to dribble into or that there is a player in a better position on the other side of the pitch. Switching play or surging into the available space. For players to make the right decisions they need repetition at training so that means chosing drills that repeat the message over and over again.

Soccer drills are something coaches have to search for … if only I had something new to coach at practice. Now all that hassle is taken away because you can get proven, easily understood drills from Cupello that help you give your players the skills and techniques they need to make the game more understandable and easier to play.

As a coach you need to to be on top of your game when it comes to developing your players. There are so many soccer drills out there that it is difficult to know which ones to use. That is why Cupello soccer drills are so important.

In our drills section you can search for the topic like Attacking that you are working on and you can also go deeper and work on the focus like Attacking: Passing of the problems your players are facing when they play matches.

The drills on Cupello help you to coach your players in the core skills and then follow that up with drills that let them play matches and activities to bring out the skill they have learned in the drill.

Cupello also breaks drills down by age group like U12 Passing, the difficulty like medium difficulty in passing of the drill and we also have coach to camera drills that you can watch and see the drill explained on video before you run the drill.

Simply go to session on our Cupello.Academy and start searching.

I am about to start coaching for the first time and need advice that will help me to make it a success. Are there any soccer drills or soccer sessions that I can use straight away? 

The key word is FUN – you need to relax and start by getting to know your players, listening to their ideas and building team spirit and work on individual skills. If your development is gradual you will get the players and parents on board for a better experience.

It can be quite daunting at first... Will the kids like me? How will I remember their names? What if no one turns up or comes back? It is a worry when you think of all the things a coach is responsible for but you will find your players are often much more patient than adults and they’re coming to soccer practice because they enjoy playing the game.

Start with simple passing and shooting drills – every kid loves to shoot at goal, and take an interest in every player, without worrying about individual abilities. Also, give your players a voice and let them make decisions over how the session develops – it doesn’t all have to come from you. They’ll like the fact that you respect their opinion, and it will give you a useful opportunity to see who the ‘leaders’ are in the group – they make great captains.

Move on to some skills and technique training and get players to work in pairs or small groups rather than standing around waiting in lines. Always finish practice with a small-sided game so you can see if players have learned from the session – after all it is what you are working all the time towards, the game.

When the practice is over ask the players if they enjoyed it and why and which bits they didn't like. You may find if some of your players didn't understand what you wanted from the soccer drill you were running they will say they didn't like it but that is something you can work on, player understanding.

At the end, ask players what they liked about the session and what they didn’t, and take those thoughts on board for your next get-together.

Soccer drills and soccer sessions are readily available on Cupello, as is a heap of advice with what to do and how to do it when you coach. 

Here is my 12 point plan to help use the right soccer drills for U8s, U9s, U10s and U11s

1. Use side of foot and instep to kick the ball along the ground and through the air with a accuracy over short distances.
2. Use all parts of the body to keep the ball in the air – apart from arms!
3. Control the ball with all parts of the body apart from arms!
4. Accuracy of passing on the move
5. Shoot at goal with accuracy – not concerned about power here.
6. Accurate crossing to near and far post – this will take some time with the younger ones and therefore crossing will be initially about accuracy of direction, again power not important at first.
7. Gain confidence in defensive and attacking heading using the right technique.
8. Learning 1v1 skills that give the player the ability to get past an opponent using feints and step-overs.
9. Quick passing tactics to get past opponents with skills like wall passes.
10. Individual techniques like shielding, recovering, tackling.
11. Using the correct technique and tactics for throw-ins.
12. The art of set pieces, free-kicks, corners, penalties.

1. Play forward if you can't give the ball to a team mate 
2. Play 1 touch football to set up attacks 
3. NOT give the ball back to the player who gave it to you
4. Set up attacks by lending the ball and getting it back 
5. Attack and score without using your team mates 
6. As a team – keep the ball for 5 consecutive passes before setting up an attack 
7. Score within 3 passes of gaining possession 
8. Score with a header, volley or a shot from 20 + yards 
9. See and use space in between and outside opponents to set up 
10. Score 1 touch from 6 yards or less 
11. Use wide areas of the pitch to set up attacks down the middle 
12. Overload wide areas to set up scoring chances attacks 
13. Win the ball back in midfield areas to counter attack
14. Play 2 touch or 1 touch football when it is on to do so
15. Play 1 touch or at least 3 touch football when it is on to do so
16. Visit the wide areas of the pitch twice before setting up attacks
17. Retain the ball after a winning tackle or interception 
18. Decide when to dribble and when to pass
19. Decide when to pass to feet or pass to space 
20. NOT let the ball bounce when receiving

I cannot stress enough how important in youth football the coaches are that can take players to the next level – to encourage them to be the best they can be. 

Your coaching philosophy needs to bring out the creative side of players, to enhance their football intelligence.

When using the drills on Cupello do not immediately think that the ones that are the highest difficulty are the best ones for your team because you believe they need complicated set ups. I heard Pep Guardiola the inspirational coach of Manchester City say that a good coach helps teams get the ball close to the box – from there you depend on the individual talents of the player.

So don't ignore the simple drills that create situations where the ball is played up and into the final third. This is the fundamental thing your team must do.

A lot of times we worry about how we develop players and teach them to do more and more difficult things and moves, and that for me is talent and creativity. You just have to create the right environment for them to develop the art that they have. 

But for me, as a coach, the most important thing is to raise the lowest level of the player as high as possible. And how is this achieved? With concentration, with anticipation, with decision making… If you do the easy things very well, everything is much easier to achieve and much quicker. 

So when choosing a drill think about the coaching point you want to make. What is the drill going to be about? Are you working on tactics or technique?

Communication - Tactics are used to communicate a clear, predictable plan. Meaning that non-verbal communication between players generates an increase in speed of execution. 

Decision making - Game insight is a skill developed to allow the player to select the correct action for the situation they are in.

Executing Decision - Technique is the execution of the decision made. 

When you use the drills tick your jobs done list for tactics or for technique!