By Klaus Pabst, German Staff Coach
(Courtesy of Success in Soccer)
This is Part 2 in a 2 part series. Part 1 summarized major concepts and attributes for each of the basic soccer techniques. Part 2 will present sample exercises designed especially for indoor training, for each basic technique that will focus on coordination, ball control and heading. (Please Note: a bonus section on dribbling and faking as well as passing and shooting will appear in the next eNewsletter.) These sample exercises are intended primarily as suggestions: As a coach, you have to evaluate your players' abilities and decide which exercises are appropriate for them. Of course, by making small changes to the rules, adding extra rules or changing the setup, you can make any exercise harder or easier. We've also included some tips to help you organize these exercises and use them in your own training program.
Indoor training can be an excellent opportunity for players, especially the very young, to work on coordination and effectively improve their technical skills. Indoor training equipment can open up a whole new world of possibilities for the inventive youth coach!
1. COORDINATION AND DRIBBLING
Set Up
• Place a hard mat lengthwise about two yards in front of a starting cone.
• Set up two small goals (two yards wide) in front of the mat, to the left and right, with a ball in one of them.
• Using four different-colored cones, mark out a three-yard-square field in front of the goals.
Sequence
• The first player runs to the mat and performs a simple coordination exercise (e.g. forward/backward/sideways roll).
• Next the player dribbles the ball to the other goal and leaves it there.
• Then the coach calls out a color combination (e.g. yellow-red-yellow), and the player follows that sequence around the little field (in this example, placing a hand on a yellow cone, a red cone, and yellow again).
Training Tips
• Instead of different-colored cones, you can assign each one a number.
• To shorten wait times, the next player starts as soon as the previous one has left the ball behind.
2. COORDINATION AND DRIBBLING II
Set Up
• Setup is the same as Exercise 1.
Sequence
• The first player carries a ball to the mat, performs a simple coordination exercise (e.g. forward roll) while still carrying the ball.
• Next the player dribbles to the little field, leaves the ball there, dribbles the other ball from one goal to the other.
• Then the coach calls out a color combination (e.g. yellow-red-yellow) and the player (who keeps the second ball) dribbles around those cones in that order.
Training Tips
• Incorporate various fakes (step-over, shooting fake, turning fake) into the dribbling.
• Instead of different-colored cones, you can assign each one a number (in which case you call out a number combination).
3. COORDINATION AND BALL CONTROL
Set Up
• Setup is the same as Exercise 1.
Sequence
• The first player carries a ball to the mat, throws it straight up in the air, performs a quick coordination exercise (e.g. sitting down/standing up, lying down/standing up, forward/backward/sideways roll) and controls the ball as it lands.
• Next the player dribbles to the little field and passes it to the coach, who is waiting on the opposite side. Then the player dribbles the other ball from one goal to the other.
• Then the coach calls out a color combination (e.g. yellow-red-yellow) and the player (who keeps the second ball) dribbles around those cones in that order (in this example, a yellow cone, a red one and another yellow).
4. DOUBLE CROSS (BALL CONTROL)
Set Up
• Using six cones, mark out two six-yard-square fields. Place an extra cone in the center of each field.
• One player without a ball stands at each of the middle and rear outside cones.
• The other players divide into two groups of equal size. Each group has a ball and stands at one of the two front outside cones.
Sequence
• The first two players from the two groups simultaneously dribble diagonally to the first center cone, then pass diagonally to the players at the middle outside cones and run after their passes.
• The middle outside players receive the passes and dribble diagonally to the second center cone. There, they pass to the players at the rear outside cones and run after their passes.
• The rear outside players receive the passes and dribble back to the starting cones.
• As soon as the first two players play their first passes, the next two can start their turns.
5. DOUBLE CROSS II (BALL CONTROL)
Set Up
• Setup is the same as Exercise 1.
Sequence
• Players dribble diagonally to the center cones as above, but now they pick up the balls and throw them to the players at the outside cones. This requires the outside players to receive passes in the air.
• More advanced players can also drop-kick the balls to the outside players.
Training Tips
• On passes on the ground, focus on good ball control. For example, a player who has to dribble to the right can use the outside of the right foot or the inside of the left to control the ball and start moving quickly.
6. DIVING HEADERS
Set Up
• Place a starting cone three yards in front of a hard mat.
• The coach has several balls and stands two yards behind the mat.
• Players line up at the starting cone.
Sequence
• The coach throws a ball to the first player, who stands at the edge of the mat and heads it back with a diving header.
• Variation: Before the header, the player has to perform an extra coordination exercise.
• To focus more on ball handling, have players start each round by drop-kicking a ball directly into the coach's hands.
Training Tips
• When practicing heading, young players should always use extra-light balls (10 oz.) to prevent injury.
• Diving headers increase mobility and help with motivation.
