Seven Drills and Skills for Youth Soccer Players

In America, soccer is still a relatively new sport. If you ask any parent, there is a good chance that they played baseball or softball back in their day. Even if they did not play, they still knew the basic rules for all of the major sports, including basketball, football, volleyball, and tennis. Keep this seven step crash course in soccer for new players handy, whether you are a new coach or a proud parent.

Skill: No Hands. The "no hands" rule applies to a lot more than you might imagine. One's first instinct is that it means no touching the ball with your hands (unless you are the goalie or it is a throw-in). However, it also applies to other players. Teach your soccer players that fighting for the ball is crucial "defense" but using your hands on another player to get the ball is never accepted. Therefore, the first drill/skill is to not use your hands, and this can last throughout the entire practice.

Skill: Dribbling. To get your soccer players use to not using their hands, you can practice with dribbling drills. To increase this skill, your kids should get a minimum of 100 touches per player at each practice. Always have them touching the ball, either between their own two feet or with another player.

Drill: Hit the Coach. Kids love to attack adults! It is a proven fact. Hit the coach is a great way to work on passing, as well as foot and eye coordination. For this drill, have the coach stand a few steps away from the players. Then, when the coach says, "Go," let the players try to hit the coach with the ball. For each hit, give the players one point. After five points, let them pick an animal sound that you have to make until the next five points. The sillier the suggestions the more fun the kids will have!

Drill: Cone and Pass. Cone and pass is a combination of dribbling and passing. It teaches kids to dribble quickly, pass effectively, and receive the ball from another player. For this drill, you simply divide the team into two players. Then, with a two sets of cones several paces apart, you allow the first player to dribble the soccer ball toward the farthest cone. Once there, they dribble around the cone and pass the ball to the next player in one, swift kick. Then, the first player will sprint to the back of the line as the new player with the ball does the drill. Continue the drill until each kid has had at least two turns.

Skill: Trapping. Trapping is just a fancy way of saying that a soccer player receives the ball from another soccer player. To trap the ball, you will use any part of your body (except your hands) to keep the ball in front of your body. Each player can use their foot, thigh, or chest to improve this skill.

Skill: Aggressiveness. Soccer is an aggressive sport and a new soccer player will need to learn the skill of getting in there and getting the ball. There are a number of drills that teach aggression, but each drill should be heavily supervised. While you want to teach your kids to go after the ball, you do not want them to display poor sportsmanship.

Drill: Traffic Jam. When new soccer players get on a field, the equivalent of a traffic jam occurs. All of the kids flock to the ball, and at times, the area is so congested that a player cannot break free with the ball. This drill starts will four cones forming a square. Have two or three kids on each line of the square so that they are all facing inward. With the blow of a whistle, each kid will go toward the line opposite (or parallel to) them. Each player will stop when they reach their line. Do not worry about turning with this drill. Instead, focus on controlling the ball and dribbling around other players.

Ultimately, the best drills and skills for new soccer players are the ones that allow them to have fun. If they do not enjoy practice, they will not stay with the game. Instead, give them a fun way to learn the fundamentals of the sport and the rest will fall into plac