Soccer Drills - Under 9
FUNdamentals are your key to motivated players
It's all about the basics. Especially at this young age your player soccer players should constantly be exposed to ball drills that include dribbling, passing and shooting. Only by being engaged with a ball do they really learn what football is all about. And a positive side-effect of including fun and ball-focused drills in your training sessions is that the young soccer players will enjoy it so much that they will come back even more motivated for the next session.
We, at planet.training, got you covered if you want to improve those skills. We have thousands of soccer drills for any skill! You can directly start coaching with these four exercises or try hundreds of Premium Exercises and public drills in our soccer database.
Team Dribbling Competition - For youth players
Set Up:
For this exercise, you need three pole goals that serve as a team station. In front of the stations you build a course of 5-7 cone goals (width: 4m). The group is divided into three teams (more Teams = more cone goals). Each player gets a ball.
Execution:
The team starts at the coach's signal from their own team station. Each group must dribble through all cone goals and then return to their own team station. The path is given by the foremost player of the respective team and can be chosen freely. Contact with the body and ball of the opponent is prohibited. As variations, the course can be changed and different forms of dribbling can be given. Which team scored the most points after 7 rounds? Who will win this training exercise?
Pass and Dribbling Competition
Set Up:
Four cones will mark down a 15m x 15m field – an additional cone will be put at one of the four corners and will determine the starting cone. In this field a zig-zag pattern will be set up with cones. The group will be divided into two equal teams. The first team (orange) will go to the zig zag course – one player per cone, whilst the second team (green) will go to the starting cone of the square. Team 1 will need one ball, whilst every player of team 2 will need one ball.
Execution:
After the coach has given the starting signal, team 1 has to pass the ball as fast as possible from the first to last player and back, through the zig-zag course. Meanwhile the second team is dribbling around the field as fast as possible. As soon as Team 1 has completed three rounds of the zig-zag course the second team has to stop dribbling immediately. The last player of team 2 is the determining factor for the amount of completed rounds. Different forms of dribbling and passing can be used as a variation. This exercise exercise is especially suitable for younger players. Which team completes the most rounds dribbling around the square?
ELEVATE YOUR GAME
The end zone game - 4v4
Set Up:
Use 4 cones to set up a field of approx. 15m x 40m. Set up two 5m long end zones in the field by using two cones each. Divide group into teams of 4 players. Place balls near the sidelines in case ball goes out of bounce.
Execution:
This exercise is a regular 4v4, with the objective of getting the ball in the opposing team's endzone. Defenders and attacking players can not enter the endzones before the pass is played. 3-4 rounds of each 5 minutes with different variations.
Variations could include: Handball - Player in ball possession is only allowed to take 3 steps or Ball is passed with the foot and caught with the hands; "Touchdowns" can only be scored by receiving the pass in the endzone; Free game with only 3 ball touches per player.
Reaction game – quick pass & direct shot on goal
Set Up:
Set up a field of approx. 40m x 20m. One big goal and a goalkeeper on both ends of the field. Set up two stations opposite of each other, near the halfway line – Set up a cone goal as an orientation mark approx. 5m in front of stations. Divide team into two groups and make them line up at the two stations. One ball at one of the two cone goal – a lot of balls near the goalkeepers.
Execution:
The exercise starts with the two front players running towards the cone goal. They then start passing the ball to each other continuously. Both goalkeepers are in possession of a ball. On the Coach’s signal “Go!” the two players stop the passing game and move towards the goal on their right side. The goalkeeper now passes the ball to them – vary passing angles to increase difficulty! The player tries to take a volley shot at the goal. As soon as both players have shot their ball the next players start moving towards the cone goals.
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Register nowWithout passing and dribbling there is no scoring
Scoring and winning is the ultimate goal of any football game. Whether a volley shot, bicycle kick, header or instep drive. Any technique can be improved by practicing it during your soccer training sessions. However, without an effective passing game or a perfect dribbling, there would not even be a chance to score. Therefore, coaches should always combine several skills in their session plans. Shots on the goal are perfect for engaging in small-field games or passing drills. To make sure that your next session plan is created even faster, there are a lot of other drill examples and variations on our other exercise pages.
