These soccer drills will give your players “Mastery of the Ball”. It is your first duty as a coach to give your players the soccer skills to be effective players. Ball control is the key to that. It’s about being comfortable on the ball, instant control, able to change feet, and move the ball where you want.
I was out walking on the local golf course where I live this week and in the distance I saw a child running from what seemed miles away at top speed. As the child got closer I realised that it was someone dribbling a ball. Of course on the fairways it was like being at Wembley on a well cared for football pitch! It was great to see a child enjoying dribbling a ball, chipping over the bunkers and swerving around the patches of heather that catch out an unwary golfer. MORE
Turning with the ball has always been a skill that draws names from the great players through the ages – think of the Cruff turn or Zidane spin turn. It used to make me wonder how players like Lionel Messi, Andrés Iniesta, Zinedine Zidane or Johan Cruyff could turn their opponents inside out, game after game – I now know it needs practice and from a young age. MORE
Use this game and it will develop the ability of your players to use dribbling skills to win one-on-one situations. Individual skills develop players so they can keep the ball when facing an opponent. MORE
This session is all about making decisions in the penalty area, communicating with a team-mate and using both feet to score. It gives all players an understanding of winning 1v1s in important areas and helps them to learn where to run to receive the ball in dangerous areas. MORE
I came back from a game on Saturday feeling a bit low – my Under 10s who were unbeaten this season lost a game 5-1. We played well but as the game wore on the opposition began to win the important challenges especially the 1v1s. So they will be part of my training session tonight MORE
Help your attackers to develop their dribbling skills and encourage them to fool defenders by disguising the direction they are going to take to shoot at goal. MORE
Chipping the ball is a difficult skill but one that reaps benefits if players can do it. I like to get my players to chip the ball at practice into the hands of their goalkeeper or teammates so they know how to chip over congested areas of the pitch or chip an advancing goalkeeper to score a goal. MORE
That old joke about a player's second touch being a tackle to try to win the ball back is not always funny. Especially if it's your players losing the ball. Watching the Premier League over the last week it is clear that a player's first touch has never been more important with fast passing and receiving the key to the best teams I have watched. MORE
Filipe Ragel the Under 19 head coach of Marcet Academy in Barcelona shares a video of his team working on possession, pressing and creating an product by passing into one of the goals. MORE
In the previous Smart Sessions Core Skills, we looked at long passing. Today, we show you how to teach your players how to bring those long passes under control. MORE
This is all about keeping hold of the ball using an overload and a triangle midfield shape. Great for getting midfielders to think about their shape and where to move to receive the ball. MORE
The international break is coming up and all the national team managers are out and about. Whenever I see the Wales manager Ryan Giggs I always think of that magnificent dribble in the FA Cup to beat Arsenal. He was an outstanding dribbler. MORE
In this session players learn to be confident on the ball through triangles, a shape at the heart of football – in both attack and defence – which is comprised of three players. MORE
Last night I played 5v2 for half an hour with stops to show what it was I wanted the players to do when they were either trying to play the ball or working in pairs. Players make a lot of mistakes in games like this but mistakes are one of the best ways the players can learn and understand the game. MORE
Players should be comfortable at dealing with balls at whatever height they arrive – and that means being able to control a ball that’s too high to control with feet or thighs or too low to head. MORE
This session is designed to help coaches look at the decision-making of the players. Can they take on the defender 1v1? Or is the right decision to keep possession by passing to a team-mate? MORE
If you are social distancing please observe your local rules. This session develops a high level of skill and movement. It is good for technique and uses both feet, working on dribbling, turning, changing direction plus advanced movements of the ball. MORE
Watch the touch and ability to use all parts of the feet in tight spaces on the pitch from creative players like Eden Hazard and get your players to develop their creative side MORE
Please check out the latest sport and social distancing guidelines in your area, and follow the recommendations when planning training sessions. This session helps to create a passing team capable of playing up the pitch at speed. It is easy to set up and excellent for fast feet, with players not only having to think but look to see where the spare man is. MORE
Having players comfortable in possession, as well as being quick and accurate passers, are key elements to a winning team.
“3-2-1 control and pass” improves your players’ ability to control and pass the ball at different heights and speeds. MORE
After being coached the basic skills of receiving and controlling the ball, players should be in the habit of using a positive first touch to move the ball into space. This creates more time for them to look up and see if a team mate is available before they make their next decision. Use this session to improve your players’ first touch and spatial awareness. MORE
