Soccer Footwork Drill Game

Touch & ball control using inside-of-feet

Every player has a ball & starts with the ball between his feet, with knees bent

On "Go" each player taps the ball between his feet. Each tap is "one"

1st to reach 20 wins (1st to 40 if U-12).

Keep knees bent & tap ball with the front of the foot (this gives better control than the back of the foot).

Fast feet & part of the "Scissors" feint

Each player has a ball & starts with the ball between his feet, with knees bent

On "Go" each player moves one foot around the back of the ball (toward the other foot) & then around the front of the ball & ends with the foot back where it started. Then do the other foot. Then the first foot, etc. (e.g., left, right, left, right). First to 20 wins.

This is one part of a feint called the "Scissors"; the other part is like the "Push & Blast Off Game". (See "How To Teach Feints & Fancy Footwork" for a description of the Scissors feint).

Footwork & use of outside-of-foot to control the ball

Each player stands behind a ball with feet apart like below:

Move the right foot forward & then around the front of the ball so the outside of the right foot is touching the ball where the x is. Then push the ball softly to the right (so it goes only 2 or 3 feet), turn to the right so the ball is again at your feet & do it again.

Do 10 "circle & pushes" using the right foot & then 10 using the left foot. The first player to do 10 wins.

Whether children continue to play soccer will have a lot to do with whether it is fun at early ages. SoccerHelp Practice Games are designed to be fun, to teach important skills and concepts, and to keep players active. We don't use "knock-out" or elimination games which leave kids standing on the sideline and we don't use games such as "Crab Soccer" which are fun but have many kids crawling on the ground instead of learning to play soccer. There are thousands of drills on the Internet, but most are not well thought out, efficient, effective or fun. Most drills and games do not provide enough touches on the ball or the activity level is too low (i.e., there is too much standing around) to meet SoccerHelp standards. SoccerHelp Practice Games are selected from hundreds we have tried and less than 5% of the games we evaluate are selected for SoccerHelp Premium. We believe in positive motivation and don't believe in punishing a child who has tried their best but lost a Practice Game. Thus, we do not recommend punishing the losers or making the losers leave the game.

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Teaches:	Touch & ball control using inside-of-feet
Set-up:	Every player has a ball & starts with the ball between his feet, with knees bent
The Game:	On "Go" each player taps the ball between his feet. Each tap is "one" 1st to reach 20 wins (1st to 40 if U-12).
Tip:	Keep knees bent & tap ball with the front of the foot (this gives better control than the back of the foot).


6. "Steparounds™" * * * * (U-9 & up)
Teaches:	Fast feet & part of the "Scissors" feint
Set-up:	Each player has a ball & starts with the ball between his feet, with knees bent
The Game:	On "Go" each player moves one foot around the back of the ball (toward the other foot) & then around the front of the ball & ends with the foot back where it started. Then do the other foot. Then the first foot, etc. (e.g., left, right, left, right). First to 20 wins.
Comment:	This is one part of a feint called the "Scissors"; the other part is like the "Push & Blast Off Game". (See "How To Teach Feints & Fancy Footwork" for a description of the Scissors feint).


7. "Circle & Outside-Of-Foot Push™" * * (U-8 & Up)
Teaches:	Footwork & use of outside-of-foot to control the ball
Set-up:	Each player stands behind a ball with feet apart like below:
The Game:	Move the right foot forward & then around the front of the ball so the outside of the right foot is touching the ball where the x is. Then push the ball softly to the right (so it goes only 2 or 3 feet), turn to the right so the ball is again at your feet & do it again. Do 10 "circle & pushes" using the right foot & then 10 using the left foot. The first player to do 10 wins.
Comments:	Whether children continue to play soccer will have a lot to do with whether it is fun at early ages. SoccerHelp Practice Games are designed to be fun, to teach important skills and concepts, and to keep players active. We don't use "knock-out" or elimination games which leave kids standing on the sideline and we don't use games such as "Crab Soccer" which are fun but have many kids crawling on the ground instead of learning to play soccer. There are thousands of drills on the Internet, but most are not well thought out, efficient, effective or fun. Most drills and games do not provide enough touches on the ball or the activity level is too low (i.e., there is too much standing around) to meet SoccerHelp standards. SoccerHelp Practice Games are selected from hundreds we have tried and less than 5% of the games we evaluate are selected for SoccerHelp Premium. We believe in positive motivation and don't believe in punishing a child who has tried their best but lost a Practice Game. Thus, we do not recommend punishing the losers or making the losers leave the game.