FineSoccer Drill 60

Today's featured exercise works on free kicks (both offensive and defensive). It's real brief but for those of you coaching at the older ages, if you are not doing something like this, you are not maximizing your team's opportunities to win (at the younger ages, there are many more important things to be working on then winning but even with them, it's not a bad idea to do this occasionally).

The game is real simple. Separate into two teams and play a regular game of soccer going to full size goals. The only difference in this game then in any other game is that any time a team makes 5 consecutive passes (successfully) they are awarded with a free kick. The key here is that the free kick is NOT from where the 5th pass was completed but is done in a more random way then that. The first time 5 passes are completed successfully; the team gets an offensive corner kick. The second time, the team is awarded a direct kick from 20 yards out (the angle should vary). The third time is an indirect kick again from around 20 yards out (the distance and angles can vary but it has to be consistent for both teams). The fourth time results in a penalty kick.

Each goal off of a free kick results in one point and a goal in the general flow of the game results in 3 points. Play this game for 10-15 minutes and you will find that both teams intensity will be extremely high both offensively and defensively (after a few times defending free kicks in a row, watch how the keeper becomes more of a leader because she will NOT want to face anymore of these while her counterpart is relaxing.

Too many teams seem to either ignore dead ball situations all together, or even if they do know what to do on dead ball situations, they practice them under pressure of a game like situation. I have heard different numbers regarding the percentage of goals scored off of dead ball situations over the course of a season and don't know the actual number but I do know, teams that work on dead balls on a regular basis are usually more successful in the long run.

Give this game a try and watch how this can have a positive impact on your team.

To see how to handle various dead ball situations, read Colin Schmidt's excellent article at Soccer Edition 62

Let me know what you think of this simple but effective exercise by posting to the FineSoccer Forum.

Have a great day!

Lawrence