PRACTICES
SHOOTING
3 VS. 1
Set up two goals about 30 yards apart with a dividing line in the middle. Each
team has 3 players on their half and one player from the opposing team thus
creating a 3 vs. 1 situation on each side. Players are not allowed to cross the half
way line.
Each team will play the ball around in a 3 vs. 1 situation and the players are
supposed to shoot anytime they get the opportunity to. One point for each goal.
Play each game to 4 or 5
BUILD UP TO THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS
*Put one or two reserve players for each team behind the goal. Each time their
teammate shoots a ball over the top (or wide if you wish) the shooter has to go
and retrieve it and the reserve player comes in to take his place.
*Award 2 points for a first time shot where a goal is scored.
*Allow players to play the ball into their teammate on the other side who acts as
the chaser. Allow that player to get the first touch
*Switch the role of the chaser. Allow the chaser to score on rebounds
BREAKAWAY GAME
Set up two goals 30- 35 yards apart. Put a cone down 8 yards to the right of the
goal. Put 4 players from the pinney team behind that cone. Place a cone 3 or 4
yards behind the pinney team cone. Put two players from the non pinney team
behind this cone.
Use the exact same set up at the other end except now put 4 players from the
non pinney team at the cone that is closest to the goal and two players from the
pinney team that is 3 or 4 yards behind.
A coach will pass the ball towards goal and the attacking player will try to finish
off the play. The player that is 3 or 4 yards behind him will act as a chaser.
When the play is finished the attacking player becomes the chaser and the chaser
becomes the attacker. GREAT GAME
CONDITIONS
*Change the angles and starting point and even the distance of the goals
*Occasionally try to chip the keepers and the coach should push the ball too far
ahead occasionally to see if the keeper responds by coming off their line.
5 SECOND DIAGONAL BALL
4 players line up in the box (one player finishes at a time) with a keeper in the
goal. When the coach yells “go” the player with the ball takes a few dribbles at
speed then plays a low hard diagonal ball across the box. The coach counts down
5 seconds and a goal must be scored by the time the count gets to zero.
3 vs. 2 IN THE BOX
3 attacking players against 2 defenders are in the box. Several players are wide
just outside the box about 8 yards from goal. The wide player dribbles to the
endline and looks up to play a ball to a teammate to finish. This exercise teaches
players in the box to open up and provide a good passing angles for their
teammates.
*Add a player who stands about 3 yards behind the player with the ball as a
chaser
*Build this up to 4 vs. 3
CENTRAL COMBINATIONS
2 Players are in the central part of the D and are defended by two players (other
attacking players)
2 other players are 22-25 yards from goal with the ball.
In the beginning the players go through pattern training for creating central
combinations:
*Midfielder passes to forward on the right of the D, The forward on the left of the
D makes a diagonal run across the box and receives a pass
*Midfielder passes to the forward on his side, overlaps and either receives a pass
or if overplayed dribbles inside for a shot
*One forward is on the right of the D and the other forward is 5 yards behind him
in the center of the D. Midfielder plays a pass to the forward on the right of the D
and the other forward overlaps him
*Midfielder dribbles forward and plays a pass to forward who plays a wall pass
back to the forward. The wall pass is a first time pass directly back to the
midfielder at a slight angle so that the midfielder can shoot. This ball should be
played back because of the crowded nature of the penalty area. And this play
should be very tight.
Next, run 4 vs. 2 (2 forwards, 2 midfielders) vs. two defenders to goal LIVE trying
to recreate these options without forcing them. Because all of the players are
attacking players, rotate them
Next, set up two goals 25 apart. Play 3 vs. 3 plus a neutral player who attacks FOR
BOTH TEAMS. Build this up to 4 vs. 4 plus a neutral player with emphasis on
looking for combinations.
NEAR POST RUNS
1 or 2 players are on the flank from various angles. Several attacking players are
at the far post about 10-12 yards from goal. The player crossing the ball hits still
balls. The attacking player sprints to the near post for a header. This helps build
confidence for the player to get into the near post. As we say “don’t fear the
near”
PROGRESSION
*Add a defender who gets right up on the attacking player. The attacking player
must now figure out what path to take (either the near post or far post)
*Do the same exercise except now move the balls in a little closer to goal and play
a hard pass along the ground.
PEEL OFF or SPIN OFF RUNS
Player A has the ball 25 yards from goal. Player B has his back to the goal with a
defender marking him at the top of the D. Player A dribbles toward goal and
Player B separates from the defender by making a curved spin-off run. Player A
slips him the ball
CROSSING
Starting out with small numbers, players are lined up at the corner of the penalty
area at the far post. Several players are lined up wide about 30 yards from goal.
The coach pushes a pass and the wide player runs on to it and crosses an early,
diagonal ball to two players running in the box.
PROGRESSION
*Players in the box pick different starting points and work on ‘sliding’ to the far
post before the ball is delivered. Players will try to choreograph their runs by
saying I’ll go near post and you go far post”. Discourage this because it doesn’t
happen like this in a real game
*Add one defender who lines up even with the attacking players
*Add a player who is several yards behind the crosser as a chaser
*Have players switch roles
*Vary the places the ball is delivered from (ex. Crosser angles run in and plays a
low diagonal ball, crosser gets to the endline for a cutback, etc.). The coach can
dictate this somewhat by where they pass the ball
*Add more players (3 vs.1, 4 vs.2)
*Move the start of exercise back further. This is a good exercise for the players
who are running into the box because players don’t always want to run long
distances to get into the box.
HEADING
Set the goals about 30 yards apart. Formulate 2 teams of 7 or 8 players. Have one
or two designated crossers. Put 2 minutes on the clock. The crossing player(s) will
continue to play balls into the box. Two players try to score from the cross. Just
before the ball is crossed the player(s) should make a short ‘sliding’ run (just a few
steps) to the far post.
SCORING and END OF GAME
*One point for each goal scored FIRST TIME on a header or volley. The team that
scores the most goals wins the game……GREAT GAME because the teams are
close to each other (always brings a ton of spirit and energy
PASSING AND WARM UP
The Bumper Game
Divide group up into 3 teams. Two teams play while one team spreads out around
the perimeter of the field including behind the goal. This team is the bumper
team.
The two teams play two touch on a field about 35-40 yards long. They can use the
“bumpers” to play the ball to. The bumpers are only allowed to play one touch.
Play the game for 5 minutes or whoever gets two goals first
We use this as a warm up game before a match.
The Four Goal Game
On a half field or close to a half field place 4 small goals (two on each endline and
two at the halfway line (one on the left side and one on the right side of the field)
Play with emphasis on any one of the following ideas:
*Two touch
*One touch
*Switching the field (this game is good for that because it doesn’t force the issue)
*Forward passing (I like to play this as a possession game where if you score you
get the ball back)
SMALL TACTICS
2 vs. 1 TO GOAL
Set up small groups of players at several different goals. The attacking players
start around 25 yards away from goal forming two lines (one with the ball, one
without the ball). Two players (one at a time) serve as defenders. Play 2 vs. 1 to
goal
*A new defender must step up after each play
*The pass must put the defender out of the play
*Players must read the play, if defender overplays then attacker may go 1 vs. 1
*Player without the ball must curve their run. Player without the ball may also try
to overlap
2 vs. 1 ON THE EDGE OF THE PENALTY AREA
Do the same exercise and line up players at the far post. After the players pull off
a 2 vs. 1 the player receiving the ball crosses or slips a ball across the box
2 vs. 1 GOING TO GOAL
Form two lines of players (one with ball and one without). The player with the
ball is about 30 yards from goal and is a few yards wide of the center circle. The
player without the ball is about 15 yards away from his teammate. The defender
is in between the two players (even or a step behind with the two players and
facing the goal).
The player with the ball dribbles toward goal and, at the appropriate time slips
the ball across the goal to his teammate
THE NUMBERS GAME
Line up two groups of around 8 players. One group is out at the center circle
(attackers) and one group (defenders) are wide just outside the penalty area.
The coach who is near the defenders plays a ball to the attackers and yells out
two numbers. The first number is for the number of attackers to be involved in
the play and the second number is for the number of defenders. Most situations
are 2 vs. 1, 3vs. 1, 3 vs. 2, etc.
ALL OF THE EXERCISES THAT ARE SOMEWHAT PATTERN LIKE WILL HELP THE
PLAYERS DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT TO DO IN GAME SITUATIONS
WHEN THERE IS LITTLE TIME TO THINK
DEFENDING
1 vs. 1
Player A vs. Player B in a space 15 yards by 15 yards. Player C is a teammate of
Player A and Player D is a teammate of Player B. They can stand near the goal but
not defend it. They serve as a back pass option for their teammates
PROGRESSION
*Build up this exercise to 2 vs. 2, 3 vs. 3 and 4 vs. 4 expanding the playing area
MARKING UP IN THE BOX
Set up two goals about 30 yards apart. Set up Channels of cones about 15 yards
inside the touch lines on both sides. Place one or two neutral players in each
channel. Play a game of the back 4 against four forwards/attacking players. Each
time a team wins back possession of the ball they must quickly play it out wide to
the neutral player. The neutral player tries to accurately and quickly crosses the
ball back into the penalty area.
OBJECTIVES:
*The primary objective is for the back four to organize the box and mark up
players. The other objective is for forwards to learn how to get into the box and
get on the end of crosses. One coach should work with the defenders and one
work with the attackers.
Gradually expand the numbers to 6 vs. 6 and the size of the field. Playing 6 vs. 6
involves midfielders who need to learn to track back into the box and defend
GAME SITUATION
11 vs. 11 half field. We used this a lot at Mercer and it was the reason we became
a decent possession team. On the half field there is no place to hide and every
time you get the ball you are under pressure. It forces you to become better in
dealing with pressure from opponents. The training session should be tougher
than the actual game in terms of dealing with pressure. Playing on the half field
also does not tire the player’s legs as much so the coaches can demand more
from the players in terms of applying pressure to the man in possession.
DEFENDING AND DEFENSIVE SHAPE
Play 8 vs. 7 with emphasis on the back 4 not allowing a ball to get behind them
and keeping the back 4 tight and in tack. The 8 attacking players line up in a 2-4-2
formation (with the 2 defenders pretty much staying put) and the defensive team
are 3 midfielders and 4 backs. Defensive team counters after winning the ball.
Build this up to 10 vs. 9 working on:
*Communication
*Movement as a team
*Not allowing a ball in behind
*Not allowing crosses in
*Having numbers of players behind the ball
*Sealing of the middle because this is where all goals are scored
*Making recovery runs
The size of the playing field varies from ½ field to ¾
ATTACKING
Work on the same schematics as the defending practices (numbers down) and
work on
*Getting balls behind defenders (positioning the front players to be able to set up
in wide positions and not always camping out in the middle)
*Possession
*Counter attacking
*Getting players in the box when the ball gets behind the defense
*Keeping balance so we don’t get countered on
CORNER KICKS
We used to practice doing corner kicks live and make the defending team run a
full field lap for giving up a goal. The biggest problem that we had with corner
kicks was the 2nd and 3rd ball so we would play it live until the ball was cleared and
the defending team was in possession. We would make 2 teams and give each
team 10 corner (5 from each side) kicks.
FREE KICKS
We do the same thing for free kicks from all angles
PENALTY KICKS
Randomly take one during training. If designated player misses, entire team must
run a full lap. Puts a little pressure on penalty kicker.