Once we've taught players the proper technical components of passing (foot next to the ball, toes out and up, ankle locked, pass through the middle of the ball) then the natural progression is to have the players pass and move in a pattern in order to accommodate team of players and to replicate the shapes found inside of the game.
The most widely used shape is probably the classic 'Dutch Square'
By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on spacing and combination play.
Start with a 30 x 30 grid broken into quarters. There are two teams of twos in the middle and two supporting players for each team on the sides.
To start, a yellow player, on the outside, has a ball and passes to
Continue readingBy Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on combination play between a forward and midfielder and staying onside.
Start with 2 cones 30 yards from goal. A forward starts in front of the cones. Another player is 15 yards further back with a ball. There are players ready to take these two players spots and a keeper in goal.
The forward starts by checking away and then
Continue readingBy Jebreel Bubtana
The following exercise and progression will work on your player’s aerobic fitness whilst using a ball. It is important to incorporate the ball into fitness exercises, as this will ensure that your players are working on their technique as well as their fitness during exercises.
Set up the field as shown below in figure 1 in a 30x30 yard area. Depending on the age of your team, you can make the area smaller. The gates made by the discs are 5 yards apart. You will also need to split your team into four groups, with each group having one ball.
The idea with this exercise is that all 4 groups link together with passing in an anti clockwise direction. The exercise starts with the player who is
Continue readingBy Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on small combinations and shooting.
Start with two groups of players. Three players in each group start in triangles outside the 18. In the example below, players 1, 2 and 3 make a group and players 4, 5 and 6 make the second group. There is a keeper in goal and extra players for each group.
Player 1 starts with a ball and makes a quick pass to
Continue readingWelcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity involves a 4 person combination for a cross and finish.
Start with 2 players on the end line and 2 players 40 yards out. The sets of players are 5 yards apart. There is a keeper in goal.
The 2 players on the end line check back to the ball in a
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on long passes, receiving long passes and short combinations.
Start with players in groups of 2’s in a 50 x 50 area.
One player has a ball and they make a long pass (preferably between 30-45 yards) to another
By Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible. Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on quick combinations to get a shot hit. Start with a target player at the top of the 18, a center midfielder with a ball 20 yards further out and two other central midfielders providing support. There
Continue readingBy Lawrence Fine, Author of the FineSoccer Coaching Bible.
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on midfielders and forwards combining to get to goal.
Start with a midfielder in possession of the ball around midfield. Two other central midfielders out a bit wider and 10 yards in front and a forward just outside the top of the D. A keeper is in the goal they are attacking.
Player 1 finds the forward with a pass. He then starts
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on a midfielder playing into a target player and then a quick combination.
A line of players with balls starts around 40 yards from goal. A target player started 25 yards from goal between two cones. A keeper is in goal.
The first player with the ball plays it into the
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity is a 3 person passing combination working on passing and movement.
Start with a 20 x 10 with two players in opposite corners and one in the middle. Player 1, on the outside starts with a ball.
Player 1 passes to player 2 and then sprints to the
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on midfielders and forwards working together in combination play.
We want our players to get accustomed to looking for combination opportunities so in these activities we recreate various ones.
Starting with 4 attacking players and a keeper. One player is a forward, one is an outside midfielder and 2 are central midfielders.
The first combination simply is a pass into the target player who then
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity is the first step in working on finishing with combination play.
Start with groups of 3’s spread out 30 yards from goal. Each player has a ball. A keeper is in goal.
Player 1 starts by dribbling toward the top of the 18, making a move and
Welcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today's featured activity works on forwards working together, combination play and finishing.
Start with a keeper in goal, two forwards staggered but close together and a few players in line near midfield with balls.
The first player in line plays the ball to the deep forward (who has
Continue readingWelcome to the FineSoccer Drills Newsletter. Today’s featured activity works on combinations and flank play.
Start with 4 midfielders (2 central and 2 out wide) and 2 forwards. They are attacking a goal and a keeper is in the goal. The deepest central midfielder starts with the ball.
The play starts with a pass to the other central midfielder. He lays the ball back to the
Continue readingPossession and combination play is such an important part of soccer that it’s important to find different ways to work on this. There are many variations to a game such as this. You can see some of them in the DVD Small-Sided Games to Improve Possession. One way to work on this is below. Start
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