Services and Headers - NASL Drills - Best source for soccer coaches in the world

My Girls U18 session from Monday:

Warm-up including sprinting and agility

Triangle Passing (see UNC training info)
Incorporates aerial service and bending balls onto chest, head, or feet

In pairs, we serve chipped balls over 20 yards to partner. Head ball back,
or if it cannot be headed, clear first time. (stress accurate serves over
distance as well as accurate returns with head or inside of foot or top of
foot)

In threes, aerial service over 20-30 yards, redirect ball to third player
with header or first time touch with feet.

In threes, partner pair starts run from 30 yards, player on touchline serves
legal throw-in to head. (emphasis on aerial battle for ball 1v1) I also
use this to train my flip-throw specialist, as she attempts to serve to head
at the full 30 yards.

With coaching points, this is essentially 60 minutes or practice. You can
compress it a bit and then go to 1v1 or 2v2 in front of goal for 10 minutes.
In my own case, we did bogies and 1v1s which incorporate aerial service over 40-50 yards, and a run to goal. This also satisfies our finishing skills
for the day, and allows me to get my keeper(s) live training. You may want
to do this, or go directly to a game with 2 large goals pulled in to 60
yards apart. Goals from headers count double.

Finish with 120s (7x) and a cool down and stretch.

This is typical for an early season practice for me currently. It is highly
aerobic at times, anaerobic for at least 5 minutes of practice, incorporates
aerial service and receiving, finishing, 1v1 defending, physical play, and
keeper training. Very efficient and compact. In 1v1 portions you can make
the losers in each group do crunches, pushups, sit-ups, tuck-jumps, or other fitness activity. Keep it short so that they don't protest too much, but so that it still has some benefit. I did this type of training for 45 days
prior to state cup last year, and we were easily the most fit team in the
competition. If I'd had more than 12 available players, you might actually
know my team now! :)

Additional Heading Exercise submitted by Dennis Mueller

After a warm-up involving fundamental heading skills, I like the
following for winning goal kicks or long vertical balls. It is one of Anson Dorrance's drills:

Setup:

Groups of 4 players

Two players with balls 40 to 60 yards apart depending on ability to strike long aerial balls,

Two players halfway between them, each player in the middle is the teammate of one of the end players.

One of the end players serves the ball to her teammate in the middle, the teammate tries to flick the ball on to the opposite end, while the opponent tries to play the ball back towards the server.

Keep score of who wins most balls.

Switch after 10 serves or so.

This is something that will challenge any ability of player and incorporates all the things needed to win balls, positioning, reading the flight of the ball, dealing with an opponent's challenge and of course actually heading the ball in the desired direction.

Practice Plan on Services and Heading from Gary Rue

Warm-up:
Circle passing - 1/3 of team on outside of large circle with pairs of players in the middle, one with ball. Initially, this is a long pass to the outside, with a shorter pass to third man (other man in the pair), with specific combination of passing techniques and tactical runs. The exercise progresses to a long air serve to the outside man, who heads it back to the
third man (server and header exchange). This could progress to more complex patterns where the third man receives an air ball to head to the server, etc.

Crossing:
Preferably with two goals about a half field apart, but could be run in rotation on the same goal; divide the team into 4-5 players per group; send one of the players wide and serve the ball towards the corner; wide player then makes cross on goal with other players making criss-crossing runs on goal to specified spots. The groups rotate, moving on both goals simultaneously.

Pattern Play:
Set up passing patterns and overlapping wide runs out of the
back with wall passes between wings and center halves; forwards then make runs on goal as wing gets to crossing area.

Game:
Separate a wing areas on each side of the playing field. Either put neutral players that move up and down the field with play or have normal players move into the wing area. This area is free from defensive pressure and wings are encouraged to cross the ball, preferably off some pattern developed in the previous exercise.

Later!

Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net