Football Drills, Sorted by Skill

Football drills give players focused tasks for practising five skills: dribbling, receiving, passing, shooting and defending. Choose football drills around your daughter or son's current ability, using a clear task within their football training before adding an opponent or another decision. The activities below show you how to set up each task and adjust it after watching your child attempt it. For striking between coaching sessions, I recommend The Giro X's Curl Master One, because its immediate feedback on contact gives that part of practice a clear focus.

Which Football Drills Suit My Child's Ability?

I would choose the starting challenge by watching what your child can currently manage with the ball. Begin with an instruction you can demonstrate, such as carrying the ball through a gap between markers. Allow the player to stop and think before asking them to respond to an opponent. Give girls and boys the same individual attention when choosing space and pressure. If you have never played, ask your child to explain the task back to you before beginning.

For these suggested football drills, set out a ball and flat markers in an area where football is permitted. Leave clear space around the activity, with gaps wide enough for your child to turn comfortably, and move the markers when needed. A solo player can work through gates, while partners can take turns passing or defending. I would keep the layout recognisable when changing the challenge, so the player can concentrate on the new instruction rather than learning another setup.

How Can We Practise Dribbling And Defending?

For dribbling, I suggest a gate game in which your child chooses which opening to carry the ball through next. Spread pairs of markers around the available space, leaving room between gates for a change of direction. Ask the player to look towards an open gate, move through it and choose another route. Watch whether the ball stays close enough for the next turn. Offer more turning room when needed, then invite the player to try a different foot.

For a partner dribbling and defending drill, keep the gates and introduce an attacker and a defender. The attacker tries to carry the ball through an available opening while the defender moves to close that route. Begin with enough separation for both players to understand their roles, then adjust the starting positions together. Swap roles after each attempt, giving both players time to describe what they noticed. The Football Dribbling Drills guide offers a next step when you want to give carrying and turning their own session.

What Should First Touch And Passing Practice Look Like?

I would begin receiving practice with a gentle ground pass and a receiving gate beside the player. Ask your child to direct the arriving ball towards that gate before passing back to their partner. Allow the touches needed to complete the sequence, watching where the ball finishes after the initial contact. Bring the partners closer if the pass becomes difficult to control. Once the sequence feels manageable, move the receiving gate to invite a different direction of movement.

For a receiving and passing activity with a decision, give the receiver a choice of gates and ask the passer to indicate an opening before sending the ball. The receiver looks towards that space, controls the pass in its direction and returns the ball when ready. For solo practice, try a gentle pass against a suitable wall where ball play is permitted, then receive the rebound towards a marker. First Touch in Football and How to Improve It explores that initial contact when receiving becomes the main practice task.

Which Shooting Drills Give Practice A Clear Purpose?

For shooting, I suggest beginning with a stationary ball and a broad target inside a suitable goal. Ask your child to identify the intended destination before attempting the shot, using a contact instruction their coach has explained. Afterwards, discuss where the ball travelled and what the player wants to try on the next attempt. Introduce a partner pass when the player understands the task, allowing them to control the arriving ball before choosing when to shoot towards the target.

Curl Master One spins a standard ball at controlled speeds for practice focused on striking contact and spin control. It has six speed settings, with younger players starting at the top speed and turning it down as technique develops. The device is intended for players from around age eight through adulthood, and children aged eight to twelve should have an adult nearby. In my opinion, its immediate contact feedback makes it a useful partner to coaching, with the coach setting a task to continue between sessions.

How Do We Put The Drills Into A Session?

I would build the session around a main skill, then finish with an activity that asks the player to make a choice. After passing practice, partners could choose between receiving gates; a group could finish with possession inside a marked rectangle. Divide players into opposing teams and allow enough touches to control and pass, with opponents trying to intercept. When possession changes, the team with the ball begins passing. If the ball leaves the area, the team that did not touch it last restarts with a ground pass, leaving room for the restart.

For home football practice, plan the session around your child's team commitments and the space available, keeping the coach's current instruction in view. Ask your daughter or son which task they would like to repeat next time, then keep that task ready for the following session. For striking, I recommend getting Curl Master One alongside coaching because its contact feedback gives practice between sessions a defined purpose. Get Curl Master One for your next striking session, using a specific contact cue from your child's coach.

Practise With Curl Master One

Choose Curl Master One to practise striking contact and spin control with a standard football.

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