FineSoccer Drill 62

This series of drills is an excellent way to begin a training session.

Start off by breaking the team into two groups differentiated by two different color pinny's.  Have each member of the white team with a ball and everyone on both teams should be jogging around in a specified area (possibly half the field or slightly smaller).  You can start with a wall pass and the basic rule is that the white players are dribbling around looking to use the red players for wall passes.  Do this for a minute or so and then have them switch so that the red players are starting with the ball.  Encourage the players to look beyond the closest player of the other color in order to expand their vision.  After each group has had an opportunity to try this, you can then change it from a wall pass to a double pass, then a takeover, then a double wall and you can add as many variations as you want.

Next, have all but three players make up a circle.  The three players are inside the circle with balls (see diagram below)

Start by having the three players doing wall passes with any of the players on the outside and you can go through the whole progression again.  However, you will find this is a bit static so real quickly you can add an interesting twist.  When the player in the middle plays the ball to a person on the outside, the players on each side of the person on the outside overlap her. (see diagram below).  By adding this twist, you now have many more options.  For example the ball gets played from the center person (Player A) to the person on the outside (Player B).  Players C and D overlap and Player B now plays the ball to either C or D who then goes and finds another person on the outside to do this with.  Or you could do it where A plays the ball to B who then finds C who then finds D.  The options are somewhat limitless.

Some of the things you are working on with this series are passing, receiving (although most of the time the ball will be played one touch), communication, vision and thought.  Plus there is a certain degree of conditioning built into this.  It's important that all of the players understand this series before you attempt it because otherwise, it will be pure chaos.

This progression was shown by Barry Gorman (head coach of the men's team at Penn State University) at the NSCAA convention this past week.  

Give it a try and let me know what you think at the FineSoccer Forum

Have a great day!

Lawrence