When teaching soccer to young people, drills can be a very effective tool to learn how to pass, shoot, dribble, defend and play goal. The best drills are ones that don't take long to explain and are easy to demonstrate. Your job as coach is to help the young players build their skills and get better. But you must remember that your players are youngsters and allowed to make mistakes and have fun.
Step 1
Teach your young players to dribble effectively. Set up a series of six cones, with each one about 5 yards apart. Have players dribble past midfield, then to the right of the first cone, the left of the second and the right of the third, continuing that pattern. Once the player has dribbled past the last cone, he should speed dribble back to the front of the line and pass the ball to his next teammate.
Step 2
Set up large targets at the four corners of the goal for a drill to give your players confidence while shooting. Have the first player take two shots at the lower left corner, with all teammates following. Repeat to the top left, lower right and upper right. The shooter who hits the most flags wins the drill.
Step 3
Divide the offensive side of the field into two sections and have your players play four-on-three soccer, which emphasizes dribbling, passing, accurate shooting and reading how the defense is playing. Your offensive players should be able to come up with a quality scoring chance at least three times out of four since they have a numerical advantage.
Step 4
Have your players take penalty shots at the goalkeeper to test her in one-on-one situations. A goalkeeper who can stop penalty kicks is a confident player. Making penalty kicks is as much a mental challenge for the shooter as it is a physical one, and the drill teaches the goalkeeper to think along with the shooter and develop fast reactions.
