English Football Drills

English football drills are training exercises that can be used when coaching soccer teams. The purpose of the drills is to increase the skill in different areas of the field--as well as increase general fitness.

  1. The Friendly Circle

    • The Friendly Circle is a drill that focuses on passing, it aids all outfield players in their skills at receiving and passing the balls. One player stands in the middle of a circle, made up by between 6 and 10 other players--all of the outside players have a ball. The central player calls for a ball from one of the outside players, they must control the ball and pass it back to the same player. The middle player then calls for a pass from any other player around the circle. This is repeated until the central player is swapped for one of the outside players.

    The Evil Circle

    • The Evil Circle looks similar in set-up and focus to its "friendly" counterpart, but instead of every outside player having a ball, there is only one ball. The player in the middle has the job of getting the ball off of the outside players by intercepting it as they attempt to pass it to each other. When the central player intercepts the ball, the player who made the pass must become the central player. Spain's national football team used this drill to warm up at the FIFA World Cup, calling it El Rondo (The Round).

    Turn and Shoot

    • Turn and Shoot aids any forwards and the goalkeeper, it is focused on shooting, anticipation, passing and receiving the ball. A forward starts with his back to the goal--just inside the penalty area. They call for the ball and a teammate passes it. They must then turn and shoot at the goal first time. This can be repeated as many times as necessary, with two players passing the ball to the forward.

    2 vs. 1

    • This drill is a tackling drill and therefore is of most use to defenders and midfielders, although all outfield players should tackle. A defending player stands in front of the goal and two attacking players start to dribble and pass the ball toward the goal--and it's up to the defender to stop him. The drill can be more challenging by placing a player in goal. The numbers can also be changed to one attacker versus two defenders or two versus two.

    Chest Catch

    • Chest Catch is a goalkeeping drill.

      The Chest Catch drill is for the aid of the goalkeeper--it's often seen before soccer matches, because it helps the goalkeeper warm up. An outfield player (or coach) kicks the ball toward the goalkeeper's chest--and the goalkeeper must catch the ball and hold it to their chest.