Finishing school
To score goals, players need to have the correct techniques and ability to use all parts of either foot. This session will have your players practising a variety of shooting techniques. MORE
Soccer drills and skills
This season, never hunt around for a fresh soccer drill again. Get proven and easy to use drills for all groups and abilities with Soccer Coach Weekly. As a coach, it is your job to give your team the skills and technique to be great players.
The soccer drills in this section will help you coach your players in the core skills of the game. We’ll tell you what to look out for, how to get the ideas over to your players, and we’ll give you games and exercises to really power-up their skills.
Drills by skill
- Dribbling drills
- Turning drills
- Crossing drills
- Heading drills
- Tackling drills
- Passing drills
- Shooting drills
- Ball control & footwork drills
Drills by age group
- U5 soccer drills
- U6 soccer drills
- U7 soccer drills
- U8 soccer drills
- U9 soccer drills
- U10 soccer drills
- U11 soccer drills
- U12 soccer drills
- U13 soccer drills
- U14 soccer drills
- U15 soccer drills
- U16 soccer drills
Waiting for players
in Arrival activities, Fun soccer games
This session is set up so that as players arrive they can easily join in without you needing to stop or change the session. The arrival activity shown here is geared towards closing down the opposition in midfield. Set up You need balls, bibs and cones in an area 20×20 yards. Numbers build up as... MORE
Four corners
Great session for movement and combination play in the final third. Also has 1v1 against the attacker and shots on goal. MORE
Alex Morgan: don’t specialise too early
in Attacking, Email newsletters
I’m always being asked should parents allow their kids to play other sports or is diluting their time spent on soccer detrimental to their chances of becoming a good player and winning sports scholarships? Alex Morgan played lots of sports... MORE
Alex Morgan: key skills
in Attacking, Small Sided Games
When you watch an attacker like Alex Morgan of the US Women’s National Team you know how hard she has to work in training to be that good on match days. So good she can score five goals in a World Cup game. MORE
He won’t pass the ball!
I had a question this week on my AskDave advice line which wanted to know why his team could pass their way into the final third of the pitch but play broke down once they got there. MORE
Substitute game
in Attacking, Small Sided Games
This is a favourite game of mine in which players do anything they can to keep the ball or they get substituted MORE
Playing out from the back
One of the most attractive and effective ways of scoring goals is to use the entire team by playing the ball out from the back. From the goalkeeper, through the defence and midfield, to a forward who can finish the move. MORE
The lofted pass
An accurate, well-weighted, lofted pass will allow your team to exploit space behind the opponent’s midfield or defence. This does not mean simply hoofing the ball upfield. MORE
Organise defence to counter
in Attacking, Small Sided Games
A strong defence is a great foundation to launch counter attacks. In Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid team the strong tackling defensive set up wins the ball and wins games by capitalising on counter attacking. MORE
10 things to work on in training
in Attacking, Email newsletters
For a possession-based game players need to be competent with ball control and decision making. Poor first touch or taking the wrong decision to dribble or pass will result in losing the ball. MORE
Six-ball possession
Great fun with this game against the clock – how can the team in possession keep hold of the ball? Pressure versus possession MORE
Zonal keep ball
This is a great game to get players holding onto the ball when under pressure with plenty of passing options around them MORE
What every youth team needs…
in Email newsletters, Goalkeeping
Goalkeepers have become such a focal point on the game that it is important you don't neglect their training. I've got goalkeeper coaches at my club but I often work extra sessions with them to get them up to speed on the tactics I will be using during matches. MORE
Goalie wars
in Goalkeeping, Small Sided Games
When keepers catch the ball they can distribute quickly and set up a counterattack. This session has keepers on their toes trying to catch crosses, distribute quickly and save shots. MORE
Defend against the dribbler
When an opponent who can dribble well with the ball bears down on your team’s defence, it can often lead to a goal against you. Teach your players how to deal with this threat. MORE
Try the triangle
Playing in triangles with three players gives the one in possession good passing options and helps the team maintain possession. MORE
Dealing with angles
in Goalkeeping, Small Sided Games
Teach your goalkeeper how to turn dangerous angled shots away to safety by using this competitive end-to-end training game. MORE
Have fun bending the ball
in Ball Control and Footwork, Email newsletters, Set pieces
There is nothing more satisfying than bending the ball from free-kicks or swerving it at goal from open play in and around the box. Watching a wall stretching up but unable to reach the ball as it hits the back of the net is the dream of every young player – and of every coach if they were really honest. MORE
Dangerous bend
in Attacking, Ball Control and Footwork
This sessions helps players to practise swerving the ball, which is an important skill to help them take advantage of goal scoring opportunities from free-kicks and shots. MORE
Brazilian swerve
in Ball Control and Footwork, Set pieces
Bending the ball from free kicks is a fabulous skill to have and players can have great fun trying to do it! MORE
The best way to start your coaching session
in Arrival activities, Email newsletters
When you are planning out your coaching sessions you need to think about how to make arrival activities work for your team. Depending on their ages the needs of the drill that kick starts the session will be different but one thing will be the same, they need to stretch bodies and be good fun. MORE
Passing pairs
in Arrival activities, Ball Control and Footwork, Warm Ups
Straight from the Fulham Academy training ground, this arrival activity will help develop your team’s ability to use both feet and to pass accurately. MORE
Keep on dribbling
in Practice plans, Soccer dribbling drills
This intense session will hone your players’ dribbling skills. This vital attribute opens up avenues of attack and means your opponent does not have the ball. MORE
