Fun soccer drills
This selection of fun soccer drills and games will ensure that your players are not only improving their skills, but enjoying their training at the same time. It is vital that when players are young, they engage in training sessions that keep their minds stimulated and their motivation high. Avoid training drills that are too repetitive. These fun soccer drills will help keep spirits high at your training sessions.
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Competitive small sided soccer game called War
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A very popular game for children (and fun-minded adults) that emphasises beating the player. Some of your youngsters will want to play this small-sided soccer game all day!
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Have fun with heading soccer drills
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Players shouldn’t be scared of heading a soccer ball. Use these tips and soccer drills to get them used to doing it and build up their confidence so they can do it in matches.
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Fun game to teach soccer moms and dads how to help
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If you want success as a coach you have to make sure all the elements of your team go together and parents are a very important part of this success. They have the ability to make or break your season. You not only need them on your side, you need them to support and help your players at the side of the pitch.
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Keepy uppies warm up drill
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Start your soccer coaching sessions with a 10-minute keepy-uppies drill - its a really fun way to get ball and body in tune with each other.
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Fun soccer games for kids that make defending enjoyable
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In every training session, incorporate some fun soccer games for kids which are competitive and motivate your young team.
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Play tag to give players a fun soccer warm up drill
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Simple warm-up drills often work best with young players in the U4-U7 age groups, but are also often good for older players. Use the following soccer drill, based on a tag game idea, to appeal to all age groups and to get players ready to focus on your soccer coaching session.
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Fun, fast game to get goalies making shots
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This is a good, fun game to get your goalkeeper making shots and to help him with goalkicks. It's a fast 1v1 where each goalkeeper can score using various skills - throw, kick, drop-kick. As soon as a goalkeeper saves, he shoots back.
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Add targets to make soccer fitness training fun for players
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Fitness is fundamental to successful soccer coaching. It's something you need to think about on a regular basis and I don't mean simply getting your players to run around the pitch each week. First, that's going to be boring and, second, players won't push themselves. Instead, this soccer drill gives your players targets to create interest and fun.
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Fun warm up game for marking skills
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Get your players to lose their markers with this fun warm up game from Michael Beale.
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Fun soccer training drill for all round development
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Make your training drills fun with this soccer coaching drill from Tony Carr, academy director, West Ham, English Premier League. In the drill players have to react to the next ball from a variety of positions - not only that, they also have to turn and be involved in the next part of the drill.
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Cops and robbers drill to boost attack and defence basics
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You can use this fun soccer drill to teach young players the basics of attacking and defending. Awareness of where players are and the ability to control, pass and stop the ball can all be coached with this drill.
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Drill tips to make training more fun
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As a soccer coach, your priority is improving individual player's skills and the effectiveness of the team as a whole. But players, however motivated, will get bored with practising drills in the same way. Use the following soccer coaching drill tips to add a bit of variety and keep your players focused and keen.
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Fun soccer warm up drill to help players focus
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This is a great soccer warm-up drill, which you can use during a coaching session to get your players' minds back in focus. It involves playing a soccer skills game and has a competitive angle.
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Fun indoor coaching game
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When you are coaching your young soccer (football) players, there are often times when the players start to lose concentration and the session becomes a bit ragged or unfocused. Use this fun game to get players back on track. It's a good exercise to use when weather conditions mean indoor play is necessary.
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Fun small sided soccer game to round off training
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You can use this simple small-sided soccer game in any of your coaching sessions, it gives young players a good fitness workout as an alternative to the traditional end-of-training match.
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Add playground fun to your soccer coaching session
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Add a bit of flair and spontaneity to your soccer coaching sessions by getting your young players to do what they do in the playground.
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Fun dribbling soccer game for 5 to 8 year olds
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Use this fun soccer game with your 5 to 8 year old players to get them working on dribbling and ball control skills. It can also double up as a training game for indoor play.
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Vary the start of your soccer coaching sessions
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Add variety to your soccer coaching sessions and keep your players interested and enthusiastic by starting the training night with a game instead of a warm-up soccer drill.
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Crossbar challenge game to work on basic soccer heading skills
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Run the crossbar challenge to improve your soccer players' heading skills.
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Zoo soccer game to improve first touch and ball control skills
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This soccer (football) coaching game is all about accuracy and playing the correct weight of pass, good ball control and first touch, and anticipating and intercepting passes. When you play the game, ensure the players are rotated so they all have a turn as monkeys, zoo keepers and visitors.
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Fun game to get players improving basic defending soccer skills
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This is a very simple soccer game to set up, but it forces the players to display clever movement as they have to protect their own ball at the same time as trying to remove their opponents' balls from the game. This game is also a good practice exercise to use for an indoor training session.
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Space Invaders soccer coaching game for ball control skills
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Use this fun soccer coaching game to help your players control the ball under pressure when they're running in a straight line.
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Fun finishing soccer drill
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You can bet your life that if you spend most of your soccer coaching session working on scoring with the feet, the best chance on match day will be with your attacker's head, and they'll try to kick it!
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Soccer coaching game for teamwork, strength and balance
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Try the fun game called "Chain gang". Will any of your players be a weak link and break the chain? Find out as you test their ball control skills.
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Soccer coaching game for accurate shooting
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How often do you watch your striker reach great attacking positions only to then delay his shot, offering enough time for defenders to get back and put in a tackle? It’s a frustrating part of the game and something that’s certainly not exclusive to youth football!
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Goalkeeper warm-up drills
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DRILL ONE
One passes, one throws
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Soccer movement drills
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To improve your players' movement on the pitch try this drill by David Clarke, and warm-up by Michael Beale.
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Fun soccer training games
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"Jailbreak!" is a fun game to get players keeping the ball when under pressure. "Think attack, think advantage, think win" is a game to get your players thinking quickly. By David Clarke.