Drills for
Teaching Soccer Aggressiveness 

• Wrestle-Mania

• Push & Shove

Have all team members choose a partner. use markers to define a playing area about the size of a center circle or smaller if you have few players. One of each pair sits on ground, randomly placed in the area. those remaining standing are to dribble around in the area, keeping the ball away from seated players. Those seated can grab any ball that comes within their reach. If seated player gets a ball then they play keep away with other seated players - throw ball from seated player to next. The standing player who lost the ball must retrieve the ball with their hands and resume dribbling. Encourage them to physically wrestle the ball from the seated player. Cheer them on! When your most prissy player losses the ball, let her know you won't stop drill until she gets her ball back. Switch seated with dribblers after about 2 minutes.

Options: Have the dribblers only use only one foot. Or have dribblers dribble at a seated player and cut the ball in with either the inside or the outside of their foot. Or have dribblers dribble at a seated player and use the sole of their foot pull the ball back and make a 180 degree turn.

Emphasize: Dribblers use soft touches so the ball stays close to them at all times and under control.

Pair up players. Each pair has a ball. One player is in 'possession' of the ball. Actually the ball is not touched by this player. This player in 'possession' prevents the other player from getting the ball using a shoulder and arm in T position.

Option: as players get more advanced (older) you can introduce the player protecting the ball to using near foot to move the ball

Emphasize: Develops screening technique. The player protecting the ball needs a wide base, use a side on position, and stay low.

I'm becoming more and more convinced that small sided scrimmaging is a very important part of pre-game activities. While, lines waiting to shoot on goal are very unimportant.

This was posted to the Soccer-Coach-L List by Rick Gruneau on 6/23/2003. The topic was: Developing Competitiveness.

       At U-12 we did a lot of 1 v 1, and we had mini-tournaments composed of 3 v 3, where 4 teams competed against each other. Everyone knew who was trying hard and who wasn't, and the social pressure kept the ante pretty high.
       We did even more of this at U-13, but, again, the ranking of winners and losers was kept informal. This year at U14 we upped the ante again, with direct physical games like "soccer sumo" (largest player gets in a small circle of cones, send in a player to shoulder challenge to try to push her out of the cones within 15 seconds) and the "shirt pulling game." (grab partner by the shirt up near the shoulders, place a ball 3 meters away. Partner who touches ball with her foot first wins -- nearly anything short of punching goes - long nailed girls are likely to break one).
       Still, to mediate this competitiveness I also try to create an environment where everyone feels valued as a person -- not just as a player. There is no stigma in losing as long as you are working to improve. The competition is there to improve the team, not to demean anyone. Let's compete hard, but keep it all in perspective. With girls from U-11 though U-17 I think you really need to have this dual focus -- competition, but also the security and safety that comes from knowing that you are worth more than your soccer ability and that EVERYONE on the team has something to contribute.

Rick Gruneau
U-14G, West Van Surf
 

UNC 1v1 Cone Drill


This was posted to the Soccer-Coach-L List by Orlay Johnson on 6/23/2003. The topic was: Developing Competitiveness.

       Great question. I bet we'd all like more competitiveness, but what seems to work for one team is a bust with another. So it is tough. One thing I have used with some success is the UNC 1v1 cone drill - and then I post the result (by number, not name) on the web.

      It is easy. Set up a line of cones. Pair up players at each cone. The objective is to knock over the cone. Each time a player knocks over the cone they get a point. At the end of X amount of time, winners go right, losers left. Ties are broken by who scored first (or last, or whatever I feel like that day). Everyone keeps their own scores and must call it out to a recorder at the end of each round.
      After we play a number of rounds we record the scores which are then posted on our website and/or e-mail. Again we use secret numbering
system so no one except the players (and NOT their parents) supposedly
know who scored what. Sometimes losers have to run a lap or such, but
usually I think they get the point from where they are standing at the
end of the drill. The second time we do it, things are much more serious than the first. I would limit this to high school age players and not do anything to humiliate the losers at the end.

      We get some highly competitive battles (and occasionally an injury, but none serious yet) and I think it increases the overall level of play.

Options:

Make top three buy a treat for the whole team next practice (although I
give them the money from kitty)

You can also do this with gates, but I find that more work and the
cones seem to work fine. With gates you are constantly chasing balls.

Hope this helps,
Orlay