This week’s exercise can be used as a technical warm-up or as the main technical focus of the session. There are endless variables with this exercise; I will share some of my favorite ones at the end. This works best if the players can be paired up, but there is also a continuous rotation option if you’d prefer groups of 3.

Set Up and Directions
The exercise is set up as shown below, showing one player with a ball, one without a ball and three cones spaced apart as shown.

The player that begins with the ball will be the ‘feeder’ – his job will simply be to play a 5yard pass and receive a 20 yard pass throughout the duration of the exercise. Our ‘active’ player (shown in the yellow jersey) will be doing the majority of the work and is the player we’ll be focusing on for this exercise.

Play begins on the coach’s call with the feeder playing a pass into our active player. The active player tries to move forwards towards the ball to control it in front of the cone. With his second touch, the player performs an inside cut to change direction (now facing away from the feeder) and he dribbles quickly towards the far cone.

After the active player arrives at the far cone (to the right on the diagram) he performs another inside cut to change direction (no facing towards the feeder) and plays a firm 20 yard pass in to the feeders feet. As soon as the feeder receives the pass, the active player sprints forward to the middle cone to repeat the exercise.

Timing
To help keep a high intensity I like to run this exercise in short bursts between rotations and variations. Spells of 45-60 seconds per player should be suitable for most age groups.

Variations
1 – The Feeder – This player can deliver the ball to the active player at a number of heights. You can focus on aerial control, thigh control, chest etc.
2 – The Turn – Vary the turns (and the foot used to make the turn) each time. Drag-backs, Cruyff turns, Outside cuts etc.
3 – The Aerial Pass – When the active player has dribbled across to the far cone, he can now turn and play a weighted aerial pass in to the feeder player.

I hope you enjoy the exercise!

Dan
Program Director
BRASA Brazilian Soccer Academy
@coach_danny

This week we have an exercise which will work close control, changes of pace, protecting the ball and plenty of skills and trickery. The exercise can be used as a fun game after a warm up or as the technical part of your session as you can focus on many different aspects of the game in this situation.

Set Up and Directions
Players will work in pairs, with one ball between two. The exercise is set up in a 20×20 yard area with small, 1 yard gates scattered around the area.

Through the diagrams, I will show the exercise running with just one pair of players but I would often use around four or five pairs working at any one time.

When play begins, the two players will compete one versus one to score as many points as possible within the time limit. The players score points by dribbling through a gate.

Players must use skills, tricks, feints as well as being able to protect the ball well in order to score more points than their opponents.

If the ball goes out of bounds, play is turned over and the opponent is allowed to dribble back in. Play is continuous, so if the player that begins as the defender steals the ball, then the roles are reversed and he is now the attacker and tries to dribble through the gates.

Try to encourage the players to keep a very high tempo throughout.

Timing

I run the exercise for one minute at a time.

Split the team in half, have half of them compete in pairs while the other half rest – then switch every minute. This helps to keep a high intensity.

Variations

1 – All players perform 1v1 at the same time. This allows for a shorter rest period in between each 1 minute set.

2 – Timing can be adjusted depending on the age group.

3 – Groups of 3, this way, players will perform the 1v1 at a ratio of 2:1. 2 times taking part and then resting for 1.

I hope you enjoy the exercise!

Dan
Program Director
BRASA Brazilian Soccer Academy
@coach_danny

This is a fun exercise for your team to do that gets both your attackers and goalkeepers working hard.

Set up the field as shown below in figure 1 with 10 soccer balls on the edge of the 18-yard box.

The attacker dribbles towards goal on a breakaway and tries to score the 1v1 against the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper can come out and try to stop the attacker from scoring, as they would do in a real game situation. After the attacker has had a shot they race to the next ball, while the goalkeeper moves back to their goal line. The attacker tries to score with the next soccer ball and again the goalkeeper can come out to try and stop a goal being scored (figure 2).

This is repeated until all 10 soccer balls have been shot with. If you have the luxury of using 2 goals then you can have your attackers and goalkeepers competing against each other at the same time. The attackers compete against each other in terms of how many goals they can score and how quickly they can do so. The goalkeepers compete against each other to see how many saves they can make. One of the main things to emphasize to your players is that the intensity must be kept high throughout the exercise to keep the attacker and goalkeeper working hard.

Coaching points:
• Attack the goal at speed and when the goalkeeper starts to close the space down then the attacker must slow down to prepare themselves for a shot on goal.
• Use the inside of the foot to place a shot low into the bottom corners of the goal.
• Look up before shooting to see where the goalkeeper is.

Variations:
You can do the same exercise but have the attackers starting from different angles and from different parts of the 18-yard box. This will give the attackers more of a challenge and give the goalkeepers a little more to think about regarding angles and how to close the attacker down.

Jebreel Bubtana
Director of Marketing at BRASA – Brazilian Soccer Academy
NSCAA Advanced National Diploma
NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma
Follow me on Twitter @jib1989

This is a great exercise to use during pre season training as it gets your players working very hard. You can also use this to get your players competing against each other.

There are 3 stations to set up as shown below with the cones being placed 5 yards apart (figure 1).

Station 1 – The players dribble to the first cone, turn and then dribble back to the start as quick as they can. This sequence is repeated with the second and third cone. The players must be encouraged to perform the turn quickly as if they are getting away from a defender.

Station 2 – The players perform the same dribbling sequence as in station 1, however, when they get to each cone they must perform 10 toe taps before moving onto the next one. It is important that the players move their feet rapidly when performing the toe taps so that they can move onto the next cone as quickly as possible.

Station 3 – The players perform the same dribbling sequence as in station 1, however, when they get to each cone they must perform 10 boxes (using the inside of both feet to move the ball from side to side). Again, encourage rapid foot movement so that the players can move onto the next cone as quickly as possible.

You can do this exercise individually or in pairs so that there is a little rest between each time the players go. After the players have spent some time at each station then they can move onto the next. Make sure you give your players a minute to recuperate before moving onto the next station.

Coaching Points
• The players must use both feet and all parts of the foot when dribbling.
• The turns done must be done at game speed as if getting away from a defender.
• The intensity and speed must be very high, which may make it appropriate to get your players competing against each other to see who can complete the exercise the quickest.

Variations
Create your own variations by changing the movements that the players do at each cone. You can even get your players thinking a little by changing the sequence of cones that they dribble to.

Jebreel Bubtana
Director of Marketing at BRASA – Brazilian Soccer Academy
NSCAA Advanced National Diploma
NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma
Follow me on Twitter @jib1989

This week we have a very high tempo, quick-fire 1v1 exercise that is worked in groups of three. It is always good to practice 1v1s they happen all over the field in every single game. 1v1s also get players thinking from both the attacking and defensive side of the game. A good warm up should be performed before this exercise as it is played at a very high tempo.

Set Up and Directions
The exercise is set up as shown below. The feeder ( player in blue on the outside of the field) must have a number of soccer balls available in order to keep a high tempo for this game. The two active players wait centrally in the 20×15 yard field marked out with two goals, one at either end.

Play begins with the feeder playing a pass directly between the two competing players. The two players then compete for possession. The player that wins possession must try to dribble away from their opponent in order to create enough space to take a shot and score on either goal.

Shooting towards both goals helps encourage awareness of surroundings and individual creativity e.g. faking towards one goal, causing the defender to move, and then turning back towards the opposite goal.

As there is lots of opportunity to score here, we play seven rounds with the same two players in the middle.

As soon as one ball goes out of bounds OR in the goal, the feeder plays the next ball directly between wherever the two competing players are on the field at that time.

This allows very little rest-bite for the players and keeps a very high tempo.

After seven round of play, you should have a winner…if not, then you can play one more ‘tiebreaker’ round. The winner stays on and the losing player now becomes the feeder.

Be sure to reset the soccer balls each time you change feeders so that the new feeder can help keep a flow of passes into the area.

Timing
The timing of the exercise can be varied depending on the conditioning level of your players and by using some of the variations shown below. The players should be encouraged to work at a high tempo throughout.

Variations
Feeder– throw the ball in high every time OR play a pass to the opposite side of the field to where the two players are.

Direction – play with a goal to defend and a goal to attack for each player, this is more game realistic and adds more of a defensive element to the game also.

Number of players – you could add a second player for each team and play 2v2 to goal.

I hope you enjoy the exercise!

Dan
Program Director
BRASA Brazilian Soccer Academy
@coach_danny

This week we focus on speed and agility combined with crossing and finishing under pressure. The exercise works best when run as a competition as this adds extra motivation for the players. Speed and Agility are obvious essentials in any game of soccer as players in any role or position on the field will benefit from having good speed and being more agile. The crossing and finishing aspects are more honed towards specific positions, so depending on the situation of your team, (whether you rotate players in positions or if your players have set positions) you can work a little bit of positional specific training into this exercise, especially for your outside defenders and midfielders. A good warm up should be performed before this exercise as it is played at a very high tempo.

Set Up and Directions
The exercise is set up as shown below with the coach positioned centrally around 30 yards from goal. The coach must have a supply of soccer balls to keep the exercise fluid. We also have two wide players, positioned on each wing. Each will have three cones laid out in front of them which they will use to perform agility. The wide players will act as neutrals and should try to play crosses into general areas, trying not to favor a team, but giving the players a good chance to score from the cross. Two teams will line up on opposite sides of the goal (minimum two players per team) with a goalkeeper in the goal.

Play begins with the coach playing a pass out to either wing (left wing in the example below), the winger then shuffles through the cones as quickly as possible and then sprints forward to retrieve the pass before dribbling towards the end line.
At the same time, the attacker at the front of each line will sprint out towards the cones positioned just outside the penalty box, before turning back through the gate, as shown below.

The wide player will then play a low cross into the penalty area, being sure to keep the cross away from the goalkeeper (preferably a diagonally cut-back cross) and the two strikers compete to score against each other and the goalkeeper.

To encourage the players to go as quickly as possible, I award 3 points for a ‘first-time finish’ and 1 point for a regular goal (with a touch to control, or dribbling before a shot). If they manage to get to the cross just ahead of their opponent, then they can finish quickly without too much pressure. If they get there around the same time as the opponent, then they will be put under pressure and will usually need to control the ball before shooting or trying to get past the defender to shoot.

Timing
The timing of the exercise can be varied easily as you can continue adding many variations (shown below). The players should be encouraged to work at a high tempo throughout.

Variations

• Agility– quick feet; shuffling; backwards etc.
• Coaches Pass – the coach could play a high pass into the corner to be retrieved by the wide player, this makes the first touch more difficult for the wide player and therefore becomes more challenging.
• Crossing – you could choose to work on crosses in the air from this situation also.
• Number of players – you could add a second player for each team and play 2v2 to goal from the cross.

I hope you enjoy the exercise!

Dan
Program Director
BRASA Brazilian Soccer Academy
@coach_danny

This dribbling challenge is a great way to have your players work on different dribbling techniques, whilst working on their endurance. The objective is to complete the challenge with 5 soccer balls as quickly as possible. Set up your field as shown below (figure 1).

There are 4 stations that your player/players must complete before getting the next ball and going again.

Station 1 – Dribble in and out of the cones using the inside and outside of both right and left foot. It is important that the player moves their feet quickly and keeps the ball close using small touches.

Station 2 – Dribble in a zig zag around the outside of each cone. As the player goes around the outside of a cone they can use the inside of their right or left foot and cut inside towards the next cone. Again small touches will ensure that the ball is kept under close control at all times. After they have done this they dribble towards the flag and cut inside towards the next station. To get there as quick as possible the player can use bigger touches so that they can build up some speed to get to the next station.

Station 3 – Perform the scissors move to get past the cone. The player must ensure that they perform the move at a good distance away from the cone so that they do not hit it (in a real game this would be a defender and if they hit the cone it is like the defender winning the ball). After this is done the player must dribble around the flag and towards the next station.

Station 4 – The last station is a 1v1 square. The player must make sure that they attack the space as quickly as possible to get past the defender.

As soon as they beat the defender they run to the starting point and get the next ball to perform the circuit again. This exercise is timed and the player must go around the circuit 5 times to complete the challenge. This is a great way to get your squad competing against each other and can create healthy competition.

Variations
You can create your own challenge and change some of the dribbling techniques through the circuit, for example, you may want to change the 2nd station so that the player uses the sole of both feet to complete the station. Be creative!

Jebreel Bubtana
Director of Marketing at BRASA – Brazilian Soccer Academy
NSCAA Advanced National Diploma
NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma
Follow me on Twitter @jib1989

This exercise is a great way to have your players work hard and have fun at the same time. This helps to develop aerobic and anaerobic fitness as it involves many short sprints and changes of direction as well as recovering as a defender.
Split your team into groups of 3 and set up the field as shown below in figure 1.

The attacker starts with the ball must score in either of the two gates at the other end of the area (figure 2).

The 1v1 continues until the attacker scores by dribbling through either gate or the ball goes out of play. As soon as either of those things happens, the attacker becomes the new defender and the next attacker starts to dribble towards the gates (this ensures that everyone gets to play as an attacker and defender). The idea is that the next attacker does not wait for the new defender to get ready; they must attack as soon as the previous two players are done, which means that the new defender must recover quickly to close down the space for the attacker. This is to ensure that the intensity of the exercise is kept at a high level (figure 3). Also, if the defender wins the ball then they can attack the two gates at the other end of the area.

Coaching Points:

• The attacker must have their head up to see where the space is and attack that space at speed.
• When facing the defender, the attacker must not let the ball get too close to the defender. A quick decision must be made as to where to attack to avoid this.
• If the defender blocks off one of the gates then the attacker can turn and attack the other gate.
• A slightly bigger touch can be taken in order to get past the defender and run onto the ball at speed and into the space.

Progression:
The exercise is very much the same but the starting point for the defender changes. Now the defender is closer to the attacker and to one side. In order to beat the defender now, the attacker must decide where the space is away from the defender and take a positive first touch into that space and accelerate into that space to get away from the defender. The rotation of the players is the same after every go and must be done quickly as previously done.

Jebreel Bubtana
Director of Marketing at BRASA – Brazilian Soccer Academy
NSCAA Advanced National Diploma
NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma
Follow me on Twitter @jib1989

This exercise works on your player’s first touch, speed dribbling and endurance. This is another exercise that can work very well with your team for preseason training.

There are 4 stations as shown below (figure 1), with your players spending 5 minutes at each station before moving onto the next.

Station 1:
The player must shuffle in and out of the cones before receiving a pass from the feeder. The ball must be controlled with the inside of the foot and passed back. As soon as this is done, the player must sprint to the ball behind the feeder and speed dribble around the tall cone and stop the ball where the speed dribble started (figure 2). The two players switch roles and keep doing so until the coach calls time.

Station 2:
The player must run through the ladders placing both feet in the gaps of the ladder. The feeder at this station starts with the ball in their hands and throws the ball to their partner who will perform a side foot volley back into their partner’s hands. After this has been done, the player must sprint to the ball behind the feeder and speed dribble around the tall cone and stop the ball where the speed dribble started (figure 2).The two players now switch roles and continue until the coach calls time

Station 3:
The player must shuffle backwards through the cones and then turn to face their partner. The feeder at this station starts with the ball in their hands and throws the ball to their partner who will control the ball with their chest and pass it back to their partner. After this has been done, the player must sprint to the ball behind the feeder and speed dribble around the tall cone and stop the ball where the speed dribble started (figure 2). The two players now switch roles and keep doing so until the coach calls time.

Station 4:
The player must perform two footed jumps over each hurdle. The feeder will now throw the ball high in the air and their partner must head the ball back into their hands. After this has been done, the player must sprint to the ball behind the feeder and speed dribble around the tall cones and stop the ball where the speed dribble started (figure 2). The two players now switch roles and keep doing so until the coach calls time.

It is important to make sure that the intensity is kept to a maximum during this exercise ensuring that the players complete the stations as quickly as possible every time they go, especially as they have a little rest after every go when they switch with the feeder. Eventually fatigue will start to set into the players so it is important to emphasize that technique does not start to suffer when controlling, volleying or passing the ball. You could also increase the work load on the players by having them and the feeder stay in the same role for a set period of time rather than switch after every go. If you choose to do it this way then I would recommend 2 or 3 minutes in each role before moving onto the next station.

Jebreel Bubtana

BRASA – Brazilian Soccer Academy
NSCAA Advanced National Diploma
NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma
Follow me on Twitter @jib1989

This is a great exercise to use to work on first touch and develop your player’s endurance levels. I have used 10 players in this exercise as an example; however the numbers can be modified depending on the size of your squad. The exercise starts with 5 players on the outside of the area with a ball each and the other 5 players in the middle of the area without a ball (figure 1).

The players in the middle run towards the outside players and when they are around 5 yards away, the ball will be passed to them by the player on the outside. They must control the ball and pass it back to the player on the outside (figure 2). The players in the middle have to work for 3 minutes before switching the feeders and players in the middle.

The idea is that the players in the middle must imagine that they are being followed by a defender. In order to get away from this defender they must have an explosive burst of speed towards the feeder on the outside. After they have done this, the player jogs back into the middle before finding another outside player to receive the ball from.

Start the exercise with the feeders passing the ball to the players in the middle before working on controlling the ball with the thigh and chest. You can also get the players in the middle to side foot volley the ball or head the ball back to the feeder.

Coaching Points:
Jog back into the middle after controlling and passing the ball but then explode with speed towards the player on the outside as if to lose a defender in a real game situation.
Relax when controlling the ball.
Make sure that the ball is on the ground before passing to ensure accuracy.
Communication – the player controlling the ball must ask for the ball.

Progression:
The exercise is essentially the same; however, the player controlling the ball must do so to their right or left as if controlling the ball into space (figure 3).

Once the ball is under control they must dribble around the area and pass the ball to a player on the outside who does not have a ball. Verbal and eye communication is essential to ensure that two soccer balls are never passed to a player on the outside at the same time.

Another variation can also be that the feeder must shout either “man on” or “time”. If the player controlling the ball hears the shout of “man on” then they must control the ball and pass it back to the feeder. If the player controlling the ball hears the shout of “time” then they can control the ball into space and dribble around the area before passing the ball to a player on the outside who does not have a ball.

Again with all of these progressions and variations, it is important that as the players get tired that the quality of control of the ball and the pass is not compromised.

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Jebreel Bubtana
BRASA – Brazilian Soccer Academy
NSCAA Advanced National Diploma
NSCAA Director of Coaching Diploma
Follow me on Twitter @jib1989