Let me show you how to control the ball in a manner so as to shoot or pass effectively and this skill can be perfected through the various free soccer training drills. In this article, you will know about 2 of the well-known soccer drills, Shoulder To Shoulder and Shark in the Middle.
Shoulder To Shoulder drill is meant for offensive and defensive players. The main goal of this exercise is to teach offensive player to practice fast shooting under pressure and let the defensive players practice clearing the ball.
This drill uses three players per drill group. The distance existing between A and B is 10-15 yards.
B and the defensive player stand in a line shoulder to shoulder. B and the defensive player, standing next to each other, face away from the goal on the left side of the field. On the coach’s whistle, A throws the ball behind other two players. B and the defensive player start to try and take control of the ball. B’s goal is to take shot on the goal while the defensive player’s objective is to turn with the ball and dribble it above the center line.
By working on coaching drills like Shoulder to Shoulder, players get to learn as to how to win the ball despite being under immense pressure from an opposing player.
Shark in the Middle is an enjoyable game which the team can play at any time during practice and you can set its duration as per your requirement. It is one of many free soccer training drills that helps players achieve attentiveness and self-control in high-pressure situations.
Players stand in a large circle on the field. One player is selected to be the “shark” and stands in the center of the circle. There is only one ball here which is given to the player who stands inside the circle.
On your whistle the player with the ball passes the ball to any other player alongside the circle. Then the second player passes the ball to another player he likes and so on.
Then you blow the whistle for the second time which means that the game has started. The purpose of the game is to keep the ball away from the shark. The player may choose to pass the ball to anyone he wishes to, be it a teammate right next to him or a teammate far away. The players attempt to make as many passes as they can.
This practice continues till the time the shark possesses the ball.
When the ball is caught, the player that caused the ball to be intercepted becomes the new shark and the first shark joins others along the circle.
Shark in the Middle is one of those football drills that call for quick thinking and the understanding of how sharks think.
To conclude, these free soccer training drills help players to build self-confidence to handle the ball while under pressure from an imminent attack. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community to for more such youth coaching tips and tactics.
Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Free soccer training drills.
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