Tough kid drill

Skill – Pushing (legal) Dribbling Defending

Area – 20’ x 20‘ with two small goals on opposite sides of the playing area.

Equipment – Eight cones (4 for boarders and four for two goals) Three balls

Players – Whole team

Procedure – Form two lines of players two yards apart on one edge of the playing area. The coach stands between the two lines and rolls the ball out into the middle of the playing area. The two players in the front of their line run out and attempt to gain possession of the ball and then score in their assigned goal. The line on the left should score in the left goal and the line on the right should score in the right goal. If the ball goes out of the playing area, neither player scores. The coach may want to manipulate the lines so that relatively equal players challenge each other.

Key coaching points –Pushing with a player’s shoulder legal and important part of soccer. Once a player gains possession, it’s all about dribbling past the other player and shooting when the time is right.

Variations –Players can shoot on either gaol.


Comments - This is a great drill for the older players, but may be a little too aggressive for some five and six year olds. Use your head and make sure that the children are having a positive experience. You want to teach your players to be aggressive, that’s part of playing soccer. Legal pushing is also an important part of soccer.