FineSoccer Drill 92

Many teams don't know how to prepare goal kicks and punts from the keepers (for either team) so even though these are two situations that teams will see quite often over the course of a game, they don't do anything to prepare for it.

One way to practice for these situations is through shadow play (see http://finesoccer.com/soccer_edition_54.htm for more information on shadow play).  Here is a simple way to work on goal kicks (attacking and defending) as well as punts (attacking and defending).

Start 11 v 1 using 3/4 of a full field with the 1 player being a keeper for the opposing team.  Any time there is a stoppage of play, the ball goes to the opposing keeper who alternates between taking punts and goal kicks.  When she punts the ball, the other 11 must play as if there is opposition and NOT let the ball bounce but instead, must attack the ball.  Also, while one goes for the ball, the others around her must provide proper support (see http://finesoccer.com/soccer_edition_98.htm) for proper support on long balls).  As soon as the ball is brought down and controlled (frequently meaning brought down by one player and controlled by a different player), they then attack the goal at full speed to get used to proper supporting runs and passes.  As soon as they get a shot hit (whether it results in a goal or a save or a goal kick) the 11 players must sprint back and prepare for the next ball.  One of the things this activity does is get them in the mindset of getting back quickly and into proper spaces.  It also is a way for keepers to work on their kicking game.

After a while of doing this, you can do the exact same thing but this time the punts and goal kicks are coming from the attacking teams keeper.  This requires different positioning and different ways to receive the ball so must be practiced as well.

Once you are happy with a teams handling of these balls, the next thing to do is put some more opposition in.  Don't go 11 v 11 at this point but rather, start with 4-5 players so there is still success but now it's done under some pressure.  Gradually build up to 11 v 11 with the same thing taking place.

A game can be played where each team gets 10 goal kicks and 10 punts and they see who can score more goals.  Anytime the ball goes out of play, the next punt or goal kick occurs.  While this might not seem like it, if you play this game correctly, there is a LOT of conditioning built into it because you get your keepers playing balls quickly and you have players sprinting back into position before the balls get played.

Give this a try and let me know what you think on the FineSoccer Forum

Have a great day!

Lawrence