Two teams try and carry the ball in opposing directions. One team has possession and tries to carry the ball from one of their goals to the other. One defender from the other team tries to stop them. If that defender wins the ball, they then become the possession team and try to carry the ball across the play zone, from one of their goal zones to the other.
Build out from the back. The defensive players have to play a bounce pass with a pivot in a central midfield position. The play then develops around the outside with wingers, before a cross and a finish. Opposite side winger gets back post to look to get on the end of the cross.
4 vs 4 or similar. Teams get a point by passing to a player in one of the 4 corners.
Variations:
- Only allowed to enter the corner once the pass has been made.
- Add a floating player for the possession team if the players struggle to maintain possession.
Neutral feeders around the outside. 4 vs 4 in the middle. Teams try and maintain position by using the neutral players, however, the neutral players cannot pass back into the same quadrant that they just received the ball from. Players cannot receive the ball until they move into a different quadrant from the last time they touched the ball.
Dribble round cones away from goal, then turn around final cone, drive towards goal and finish past the keeper. No defenders.
Set up the cones at both ends of the pitch / in both goals, so we can get through more kids at a time.
Teams have to get the ball from one side to the other. Basically the endzone game but with two teams going in different directions. See video.
Small sided game. 3 vs 3 (or similar numbers). Pass to a teammate in the endzone and touch down on the ball to score a point. Only allowed to move into the endzone once the pass is made - you can't just stand in the endzone.
If your team score in the endzone, transition to attacking the other direction / towards the other endzone.
Kids number themselves 1 to 7
Played on a shortened pitch and the kids line up to the side of the goal
Coach calls out e.g. "1 and 2".... Those two kids try to score.
Encourage them to make good decisions in terms of whether to pass or dribble.
Vary the number of kids called out each time, to mix up the drill.
Can add in e.g. "you can only score inside the box".
Dribble round cones. Player 1 has a shot then becomes the defender against player 2.
Simple jink, 1-2 then shoot.
2 gates to start. pairs of attackers try to score past 1 defender and a keeper. Point is to emphasise passing when you have a numerical advantage
Variant:
When the defender wins the ball, they can score a point by passing through or dribbling through a start gate.
Reason: Emphasise that when you win the ball as a defender, the safest exit route is out wide,
because if you lose the ball dribbling / passing it out the middle, you give up an easy chance to opponents
if you were the last man.
A simple 2 v 1 shooting drill. Player 1 passes to player 2. A third player then comes in as a defender to try and prevent the shot.
Pairs of players start at each end of the pitch. There are two central players. The pairs at the end have to play to the central players, who both have to touch the ball, then the original pair have to get beyond the central pair, receive the ball back and score in the goal at the other end.
Use this four box rondo to encourage the players to be alert, and confident when under pressure. The players start by passing around (with whatever rule the coach decides:one touch, two touch, etc). Once the coach shouts a color, that team split up and work in a rondo. Once the player wins in their square, they move on to help out their teammates.
2 endzones with a player in each. Two teams of players in the middle - one team is the possession team and one is the pressing team. The possession team have to get the ball from one end to the other and back again as many times as they can in 2 minutes, then we switch player roles.
Pair up the players. They have to dribble past their opponent and stand on the ball at the opposing endzone / line of cones.
After 3 mins, the winner moves up the line and the loser moves down the line.
Basically a relay race. When the players reach a box with different coloured cones in, the coach calls out the colour of the cone and they players have to run / dribble around that coloured cone. You need at least 4 different colours of cone.
Two teams line up opposite each other in shooting zones. There are a line of cones in the middle. They have to pass at the cones and knock them into the other team's zone. The team with the most "bombs" (cones) in the other team's half after 2 minutes wins.
A pair of two players try and get to the end of the gauntlet (a la Gladiators). Where one player in each section tries to tackle them as they progress down the pitch.
Encourage movement off the ball, so you're not standing behind the defender, if your teammate has the ball.
Variations:
- 1 player or 2 players attacking.
- Can add safe zones.
We do this with two different coloured cones rather than numbers of cones.
Variation: Add in killer, if you hold up both colours of cone.
You can also add in calls to "switch balls" or "bell taps" etc, to make them concentrate on something else, then hold up the cones.
Essentially a race round two cones, with trying to knock over cones / block your opponent from knocking over cones.
Players move up the pitch in pairs, with 3 pivot players spreading the play to the opposite player in the pair.
Pivot players can move side to side but stay on their line.
Video explains it clearly but is a square video so you might need to view on Facebook.
Pairs of kids. One in a box. The other kid has to pass to the one in the box. Each completed pass they take one step back.
3 lives. The passer marks how far they got with a cone when they run out of lives. Then they swap over.
Simple moving screens drill with 2 small goals.
A pentagon of pancakes with 1 pancake in the middle too. 4 players passing and one presser.
You're only allowed to pass to someone who has just moved to a new pancake. Bonus points for going to the middle.
You can bounce pass from the middle pancake, if they're struggling.
Full pitch - see how quickly a team of 7 can pass it keeper, defender, both mids, winger, winger, striker...
Have a matching team doing it the other way down the pitch.
Basically a race between the two teams.
Two teams of 5. One pivot per team, who moves along the line of pancake cones.
Team 1 tries to make 5 passes, before playing the ball through the central goal. They must use their pivot player at least once. One presser from the opposite team presses and tries to stop them scoring through the central goal.
After each play, we switch which team is passing and which one is pressing.
Possession clock drill. Keep possession for 1 minute. Once a team has kept possession for 1 minute they can score in either goal. Use a chess clock app with a 1 minute timer and flip sides each time possession changes to the other team.
5 v 5 or 6 v 6... One side starts passing, with 1 presser from the other team. Every 3 passes another presser joins in from the other side
If the pressing team wins possession, they try and transfer the ball to their team on the other half of the pitch and they become the possession team
Transferring the ball gets you 5 bonus points. A pass = 1 point.
So you can clear the ball out if you're the pressing team. But you don't get any bonus points when you start your go.
A rondo with 3 areas - progress the ball from one side to another.
Start with a rondo. 6 or 7 around the outside of 2 defenders. Defenders hold bib.
Phase 2
Drill runs in front of a goal. Two defenders start by the coach, behind the line of cones (away from goal).
Possession team makes 5 passes, then after the 5th the two defenders can close them down and try to win the ball back.
If the defenders win the ball they can try and score a goal.
The possession team need to make 5 more passes with the two defenders pressing them, then they score a point by passing to the coach.
Coach stays behind the line of cones but moves along the line to give a good outlet for a pass.
Shows the defenders that it's dangerous to play across the 6 yard box, because if you lose the ball you can give up an easy chance.
Shows that the easiest way out of defence (passing wise) is usually out wide.
Also shows the two defenders that they have to work hard.
Main player stands in a square of cones.
Main player receives a ball. The player behind them holds up one of two coloured cones. The middle play then steps out to that side and spreads the play out to the player at the opposite side. Repeat.
We've done this a couple of times.
Three receivers in the middle. Two pressers. The receiver has to scan to see if they're getting pressed and if they are, they can bounce or try and beat the man with a moving screen.
Short pitch, 1 v 1. 1 player starts with a ball. They can either dribble 1 v 1 and try to score.
OR if they want to, there is a feeder either side of the pitch, which they can use as a 2 v 1. Feeder has to stay behind cones but can be on either player's team (whoever passes to them).
Narrower cones inside the goal mark a smaller goal, so we don't just have them booting it from miles out.
Just seen Forest doing this one in a training video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmiIrf49WRI
Feeders need to move up and down the line with the play.
On the ball "If you use a feeder, you'll have to lose your man after."
Feeder "look to play a through ball - doesn't have to be to feet"
Two teams. Pair players up. 1 ball per pair. The goal of the game (for each individual players) is to finish the allotted time with the ball in your half of the pitch.
Allowed to take a 1m ish deviation from a line of pancake cones.
Play through the lines. Can also have one floating player, if the numbers don't work.
Score a point by passing to the keeper, not smashing it in, so the striker has to have their head up and find the man too.
The point really is to get the striker to go out wide to receive the ball, then the pass to the keeper acts as a cross.
Talk about receiving the ball on the half turn and looking up quickly.
For people who don't have the ball, talk about how it's important to find a lot of space, not just a bit of space.
Variation: If you want, you can add third man runs from the defensive line to the attacking line.
Y formation pass and move drill.
A semi-uncontested run through of 3rd man runs / patterns of play.
Defender has to mirror the position of the attacker, as they move around the outside of the square of cones.
Players are fed a ball and choose which side they want to take their first touch to, for their first touch elimination. Semi-uncontested, as the gates get in the way of the defender. More of a practice for the player on the ball to take a big first touch.
Receive the first pass on a pancake, split out wide to receive the second pass on the half turn and pass to your other feeder. Repeat in the opposite direction.
2 teams line up on matching sets of pancakes. After each pass, the passing player must move to a new pancake. First to 20 passes wins the round. If the player receives the pass too far from their pancake it doesn't count.
Add in pressers after the first couple of un-contested rounds.
Players on 4 corners and 1 as a pivot in the middle. If the pass is played to the pivot in the middle, they lay off the pass, then move to the corner where the pass came from. If the pass is around the outside, the pivot player stays in the middle.
Simple 1 touch passing warmup, using both feet.
Similar to the 4 corners game but you can only score in the two attacking corners and there's a safety player who is always in a fixed position, to illustrate that you can go back to the keeper / CB as a safety pass.
Reminder of the corners game - pass into the corner to a teammate. The teammate can only move into the corner after the pass is made to the corner - they can't just stand in the corner.
Set up some cone gates. 1v1 player has to lose opponent and get through gates.
