Soccer Drills for Kids Soccer: Defending the Hole

Set Up

Create a 10*10 square with cones placed 10m apart.

Split the team evenly into 2 groups (Red vs Blue)

Line up each team on the opposing sides facing the 10*10 grid which I will refer to as the “hole”.

Instructions

Start of with one defender (Red) inside the hole. In the first sequence, the red player starts as the defender.

The Blue player will start off as the attacking player.

The Blue Player dribbles into the hole and attempts to dribble the Red player to get to the other side.

If the attacking player (Blue) successfully dribbles past the defending player he passes the ball to his teammate. (as shown in diagram below- player 1 passing the ball to player 2)

Player 2 (Blue) dribbles towards the hole and challenges the same defender.

If the defender (Red) wins the ball or the ball is knocked out of the hole (grid)- the player losing the ball (player 2 Blue) becomes the defender.

The player that wins the ball or forces the ball out out of the hole, passes the ball to his teammate (player 3 Red) and the soccer drill continues.

Benefits

Teaches resilience and hard work; the defending player needs to work hard until he wins possession. The defender also needs to be alert with fast feet to transition quickly from left to right. Over time, this drill will build stamina, strength and spatial awareness for the defender protecting the hole. Allows for one on one duels which simulate match conditions. Gives attacking players the opportunity to work on their dribbling and spatial awareness. Continuous repetition and practice will teach the defenders how to close down the space when the attacker has got the ball.

“May the winds of destiny blow you to the stars”