Soccer Drills - Speed
Nothing can stop you, when you are the fastest
While speed is not everything in modern soccer, it has certainly become one of the most important characteristics on some positions. The game itself has become much faster over the past decades which can be seen in the increase of passes, less dribbles and more kilometres and sprints that players run each and every game. All this makes it a good reason for you to improve your players speed. For one, you could learn more about speed training in soccer in our coaching blog.
We, at planet.training, have also got you covered if you want to improve those skills with some fun exercises. 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.
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?
Warm Up Game - Tic Tac Toe
Set Up:
Set up 3 x 3 fields – use cones or big hoops. Set up two starting stations approx. 10m in front of field. Build two teams of 1-4 players per set up – Each team lines up at one of the stations. Provide 3 matching colored markers – (bib, cones, balls, etc.)
Execution:
This exercise follows almost the same rules as the classic Tic Tac Toe: To win the game a team must place their 3 markers in a row – Diagonal, horizontal or vertical.
On the Coach’s signal the first player of each team starts running towards the field and places his first marker in one of the 9 areas. After marking the first area the player runs back to tab the next waiting player, which then starts running towards the field – Same execution for third player.
After all 3 markers have been placed in the field, one marker at a time can now be replaced by each following player, until one team wins – 3 markers in a row.
Play several rounds as a competition – Best of 5 or 7
Passing Square - Continuum Pass & Go
Set Up:
Set up a Square with 4 cones. Distance between cones approx. 10m. 3 players line up at first 3 cones. Player A is in possession of the Ball. Exercise is possible in pentagon with 4 players as well.
Execution:
Player A starts exercise with a pass to B. After passing the ball, A sprints to the empty station/cone D. Player B passes to C and sprints into the other diretion to cone A. This continues for 2-3 minutes - Break and feedback for players afterwards.
Hard and low passes should be played as precisely as possible. Players need to learn to move into open space immediately after passing the ball. Ball reception under pressure - Players should simulate a good release before receiving the ball.
Cognition - Footbonaut 2.0 - For advanced players
Set Up:
Take 4 cones to set up a small field of approx. 7m x 7m (shooting area). Set up a bigger field of approx. 25m x 25m around the small field. Place a big goal on each side and a pug goal in each corner. Separate the big goals into 3 areas with 2 poles. Label each goal – In our example: Big goals = A,B,C,D / pug goals = red, green, blue, white / pole areas = 1,2,3.
One player inside the shooting area and one player next to each of the pug goals (with matching bib).
Execution:
The exercise starts on the coach’s signal. 1.Signal: Is the label of the passing player (in our example a color). The shooting player gets in position to receive the pass from the respective player. As soon as the pass is played the coach gives the 2.Signal: Target of the shot – in our example: Pass from player in green – Shot on goal C, area 2).
The difficulty of the coach’s signal can increase as players get comfortable with this drill. You'll find variations in the full exercise, click the link.
Start now with your premium membership
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.
