Drills - General Guidelines

There are countless drills and many books and videos are available to teach you. You can look up videos online or go to a local library and find a book.
You don't need 100 drills. Pick a few and work at them.
  • Step 1 - Explain the drill (why it is done, how it is done).
  • Step 2 - Demonstrate the drill (slowly, step-by-step).
  • Step 3 - Execute the drill.
  • Step 4 - Figure out what went wrong (it's often the instructions); fix it, and start over!
  • Step 5 - Use assistance from pictures, videos, CDs or experienced coaches to demonstrate.​​
Remember: showing is better than talking!
Some drills will not work well at first. Maybe they need a small adjustment (e.g. too many players, or players standing too close or too far apart).

Repetition of drills builds skills. It can also be boring. So use variations of drills, and don't repeat the same drill too often. If your players are not enjoying and not learning from a particular drill, find another that focuses on the same skills.

Start a drill simply and progress to the harder stuff. For example, begin with a simple passing triangle; then introduce a chaser.

Play with the kids! Sometimes you should join in the drill as a participant rather than as a coach. Not only will the kids enjoy it, but you will gain a better appreciation of the skills you are asking them to master. You can also control the intensity by your play.

IDEA: Call a parent from the sidelines to be goalkeeper for a shooting drill!

Experiment! Don't be afraid to try new ideas.

Split the team into small groups for you and your assistants to teach a drill; then rotate. 

This keeps more players busy and allows more individual attention.

When organizing the kids into small groups, consider their abilities. For example, in some dribbling or passing drills it might be best to have pairs with similar abilities. 

Conversely, in competition (e.g. 2v2) you might pair stronger and weaker players for balance.

Start a drill slowly. WALK through it first, then do it at half speed, and finally at full speed.

Scrimmages - General Guidelines

General:
• Not the best for improving skills (many players, only one ball). But the kids love scrimmage and its great fun for them. So allow plenty of time for scrimmage during every practice, but don’t make it the only activity.
• Excellent for learning positions and game simulation.
• Good way to teach the rules (you are the referee!), but try not to stop play too often
Small-sided scrimmage:
  • Fewer players, thus each player gets more touches on the ball.
  • Small field and small goal requires more control and passing.
  • Small goal encourages accuracy.
  • HIGHLY RECOMMENDED IN PRACTICE FOR ALL AGES!
  • If you have a large team and sufficient space, run two games simultaneously.
Scrimmage with conditions:
  • Maximum 5 touches: to encourage passing.
  • Minimum 2 touches: to encourage control (no one-touch passes).
  • Minimum 5 touches: to encourage dribbling.
  • Must pass 3 times before allowed to shoot: rewards passing and good spacing.
Uneven scrimmage:
  • 5 v 2 or 4 v 2 with no goals: forces passing. (The larger team counts passes.)
  • Offense vs. Defense:
  • Good to practice action at the mouth of the goal.
  • Good to work on set plays (goal kicks, corner kicks, free kicks).
  • Have 2 or 3 extra players on offense to keep the action around the goal.
  • Give defenders two small goals near the touchline at midfield.
Freeze!
  • Blow the whistle and call freeze.
  • All players must stop where they are.
  • Coach makes observation, e.g. players open on right flank.
  • Excellent teaching tool (if not used too often).
Open scrimmage:
  • Full game simulation.
  • All players, one game.
  • Enforce rules more strictly to encourage fair play; it also gives players free kick practices.
  • Play another team occasionally, if possible; practice subs and positions.

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