How to Coach Youth Soccer Drills

Coaching youth soccer requires fine-tuning drills to the age and interest level of the players. "For the smallest players, 4 years old, even getting them to kick the ball in the correct direction can be a challenge," says Wes Harvey, a youth and adult soccer coach in Baltimore, Maryland. "You have to keep the kids involved and moving; you can't let them be idle. Keep the drills fun. Remember these aren't professionals."

Things You'll Need

  • Soccer balls
  • Pinnies
  • Cones
  • Water
  • Snacks
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Instructions

    • 1

      Tailor the drills to expectations from the players and parents. If you have recreational players, they may have been signed up by their parents and are only looking for exercise. Travel teams often consist of youth with a deeper commitment to the game, permitting more challenging drills.

    • 2

      Warm up the children by having them conduct a hopping drill. Have the players stand on one leg, making an airplane by lifting one leg backward and emulating the "Karate Kid" by lifting the same leg forward. Have them alternate legs. "You can't kick a ball if you can't balance on one leg," Harvey notes, so this drill serves as a warm-up and as a balancing drill, enabling children to strengthen both feet to help when planting for a kick. Turn this warm-up into a hopping race to engage the children.

    • 3

      Place the players in two facing lines to work on the quick-draw drill. Have a ball between each pair of facing players. On your command, "draw," each player vies to control the ball. After each three draws, have the players in one line take one step to the left so each pair changes. This gives everyone a chance to work with the best players. Move the drill along quickly to accommodate brief attention spans.

    • 4

      Line up the players in a single row on one side of the field to play "Red Light, Green Light." Each child has a ball at her feet. The object is to get to other side of the field as fast as possible. When you call "red light," they have to stop. Children have to go fast to win the game but at the same time keep the ball close to their feet to maintain control. The drill works for all ages, including adults.

    • 5

      Set up two teams with different-colored pinnies, the term for soccer practice vests, to play two-team keepaway on a quadrangle measuring 20 by 30 steps, marked by cones. Line the teams up at opposite ends of the field with one ball for every three players. On your signal, each team tries to keep its balls and steal the other team's. The team with the most balls at the end of two minutes wins.