Football: score a try

i currently run a u13 boy footballs team. What would be a good drill to get the players to shut the ball down.Because my defenders seem to stand back and let them shoot thanks dennis

Hi all, I've just started coaching a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds and would like to discuss with my fellow coaches any drills which you have found to be safe, fun and valuable to the younger age group. I have my level 1 course under my belt and have difficulty in applying what I've learnt to the small kids. They get bored very quickly and are only interested in playing a match at the end of the session. They have no interest in passing the ball or shooting at goal whilst doing drills. Running with the ball is no problem as they are keeping active and all have a ball at their feet. As soon as they line up or have to share a ball, there are problems. I have a variety of drills which I run through with them, traffic lights, robin hood, alamo, sharks and fishes to name a few with variations of each but I crave more as everywhere I search caters for U6 upwards. I coach an U8 side midweek and have no problem with these lads as they are that bit older and have a greater level of concentration. (not by much mind). So I'm asking for advice from anyone who has coached 4 and 5 YOs and would like to know what has worked for you. PM replies welcome.  Marc

hi im currently doing my FA level 2 badge. I have just been given my final topic on " pressing " has any one got any good technique, skill and ssg drills for this. many thanks j

Hi All, Need help with training my U9s with passing during the game. I have one player (centre mid) that knows how to pass at the right time during the game. The rest of my team, meaning LM and RM and striker put their head down and just run with the ball. What can i use during training to make them think about passing during a game. Thanks in advance

Does anyone have any good corner set pieces for 7 a side U11 team (short or long). Have a tournament coming up most games finish 0-0. i think if we can get a goal or two from corners it will be enough to get us close to winning. Thanks Dean

Every time my get the ball they will always kick it long and give straight to the time where as they need to gert it and pass. Can any one help?

i coach 35 u7s and trying to keep them all entertained is a challenge! We train in a sports hall and divide this into 4 quarters and try to have 4 different drills going but anyone got 4 good games to keep them interested. Its tough having lots of kids of all abilities but its a good challenge!

I coach a U14 Boys team with a majority of them returning from the past couple seasons. My main loss from this past season was my keeper. I have a kid that has played keeper before, so I was told, but he is letting too many soft goals go by and costing us games. When I try to work with him, he just gives me a blank stare. I tell him to catch the ball but he continues to knock it down and then try to catch it which lets the other team score. I have told him to do some drills at home to help him but he tells me that he has not done them and does not want to. When I replace him, or try to, his mother throws a fit and gives me attitude. How do I handle this situation? I have been coaching for seasons and I have never had this happen before.

There are a number of pupils in my class that don't know the basic skills needed to play football, they lack the skills needed and the discipline. Because of that I'm asking if any of you have some ideas what to do? Ideally I need ideas on what to do to help get my class into shape and to start learning the basics.

hi to allmy club has signed up to a Queensland miniroo's program to introduce children to football it is to be both fun and show discipline. This is from age's 4 to 11 it runs for 6 weeks, there will then be the chance for the children to join the club after this or as a club we can continue to run for the 2016 session , fitness isn't the main objective,just skills and enjoyment.Would you like to give some advise on the kind of drills that you would run in this kind of environment remembering that its only a introduction. I have detailed drills that we currently run for are established players.Thank you karl

At home he is very good at everything but he doesn't get involved as much when matches are on. Is there any way of coaxing him to shoot and do what he does at home?

Best way to improve junior team in possession of the ball? To dictate the speed of the game

My team have conceded 18 goals in 3 games and they have all been the same kind of goals. We always try and get the back 3 upto the halfway line when attacking which mean naturally my midfielders are further up the pitch. Here lies the problem, when we lose possession we are simply not quick enough at getting back, a long ball over the top or some quick play we seem to be overloaded and concede quickly, iv tried getting my goalkeeper starting position improved to cut out the long ball but he's not confident doing that. Should I abandon the need to get to the halfway line as quick as possible and maybe drop 15 yards leaving less space behind. In possession we are a good team but out of possession we have become easy to score against. I as a coach need to be more vocal during games and possibly do a bit more in-game coaching as iv always believed it's best to give instruction and challenges before games and at half time. Any advice would be appreciated

Does anyone know any good defending drills not for a team but for an individual it has been hard to find any drills other than the basics of defending and some ones to do with jockeying and body positioning.

I coach a U14 Boys team with a majority of them returning from the past couple seasons. My main loss from this past season was my keeper. I have a kid that has played keeper before, so I was told, but he is letting too many soft goals go by and costing us games. When I try to work with him, he just gives me a blank stare. I tell him to catch the ball but he continues to knock it down and then try to catch it which lets the other team score. I have told him to do some drills at home to help him but he tells me that he has not done them and does not want to. When I replace him, or try to, his mother throws a fit and gives me attitude. How do I handle this situation? I have been coaching for seasons and I have never had this happen before.

I took over a under 8s team 2 years ago unfortunately soccer is not my game and I did as there was no other option other than to fold. Im a good coach in terms of developing a good team (discipline, teamwork , sportsmanship fun etc) but I think my lack of knowledge about the game is holding the team back . I have a 12 players who are about to move up to the under 10s level , they skill level ranges from timid to very skilled, I try to give each player equal time and the lower skilled players are improving (just not at the same pace as the opposition). Unfortunately the opposition we face seem to be light years ahead in terms of playing a scheme and we are often found out during games (i have used a basic zone defense to try and stop the team becoming ball magnets). I think its a mixture of me insisting all players get equal playing time and the fact I dont know enough about the game to be able to coach an effective scheme and to react to opposition schemes. They are good kids and I want to give them a taste of success (you can only say it was bad luck so many times) but cant seem to get our club to take it to the next level. The drills on sportsplan are helpful but a lot of drills are too complicated for the kids age or can simply go wrong very quickly in reality. We dont get thrashed in games but we cant seem to eke out a draws or wins (I know its not all about winning but try explaining that to the kids when they lose on a regular basis)Any suggestions

Team keep getting thrashed every week - where to start? Having been the sole coach/manager of a little league team for the past two years, this year I lost all my senior players. I was therefore presented with 10 brand new lads, some of whom have never played competitive football. We are 8 games in and my lads are getting thrashed every week. The main problems are that they cannot get the ball out of their half, positions are usually a mess, finishing and chance creation are non-existent, and they don't apply any pressure or are unable to tackle. The main problems are keeping the ball as a team, getting it in the opponents half and staying there, and creating/finishing chances. I only have 1 and a half hours a week with them. I don't really know what to do, and I'm a little desperate. Does anybody have any advice? Thanks for literally anything.

Hi I have quite a large squad (11) for my U9s team. Sometimes not all of them turn up but when they do managing the substitutions can be a nightmare. Have tried planning it out and making 3 subs on a rotation every 6 or 7 minutes. This works OK, just wondered how others do it? Thanks! Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

After watching the Arsenal game at the weekend, it seemed very much apparent that the two quick goals for Arsenal effectively killed the game off, with Arsenal not really requiring to come out of second gear. I was wondering if anyone had any tips about how you can motivate a team's head not to drop, and attempt to fight back into a game from 2--0 after ~20 minutes?