Soccer Practice Games – More Effective Than Routine Drills

In soccer coaching, the game is said to be the best teacher – so soccer practice games are preferred as a teaching technique by most coaches. Practice games keep your players on the move, helping maintain fitness levels while developing their playing techniques and skills.

• To Develop Passing And Shooting Skills

This soccer practice game can help your players work on their passing and shooting skills. For this, you need to mark a circle of about six meters radius. In this cone, position a cone, which will act as the goal.

Divide your players into two teams, differentiating them by different colored vests or uniforms. The two teams must play to compete and try to score a goal. They can run across the circle but they cannot touch the ball when it is inside the circle.

They can score the goal by shooting the ball from outside the circle by knocking the cone over. If by chance a player happens to touch the ball inside the circle, the opponents will get an opportunity to shoot the goal cone from the circumference of the circle.

During this soccer coaching drill you must keep track of the score as the teams play. There are certain observations that you must make. The player who has the ball must be alert to the ball as well as his teammates around him, the opposing team and the goal. He must shield the ball by using his body, bringing it between the opponent and the ball.

The players with the ball must be able to deftly change directions with the ball at various speeds. He must be able to quickly gauge the correct team player to whom he can pass the ball. Of course, he must ensure that he aims precisely when he passes.

What about the players who do not have the ball? Obviously, their job is to provide maximum support to the player who possesses the ball.

They must also be alert and aware of which direction to run and how to time it. They must avoid swarming around the player with the ball and ensure that they do not repeat the run made by the other teammates.