Training Exercises

Place two lines with three to five players behind two cones. The coach stands in the middle between the two lines with a bag of soccer balls.

Each line is assigned one goal to score on and one goal to defend. When the coach starts the drill, the first player in each line sprints into the playing area. The coach serves the ball onto the field and the players battle for it.

From there, the players go 1-on-1. If a player scores a goal, that player stays on the field and the other player leaves. Another player from the team that just allowed a score comes on to the field, and the drill continues.

Coaches must have six cones and at least seven balls, then mark off a 20-yard square on the field. Balance three soccer balls on top of three cones on each side of the square. The coach tosses out a ball, and both players race for it.

Each player is responsible for defending the three balls on their side of the field. The players compete for possession and control of the ball to shoot at their opponent’s cones. Any time possession changes, players are forced to immediately alter their approach from offense to defense and back again.

When the ball goes out of bounds, players compete for the next ball that’s passed in by the coach. The drill is over when a player knocks all of the opponent’s balls off of the cones.