Football (soccer) drill library: Fun Football
Fun games are an enjoyable way to practice football (soccer). They help players develop teamwork and enjoy football (soccer).
Drills: Fun Football
Land-Sea-Ship with Ball
Dribbling exercises, initially following coach's instructions to dribble to land-sea-ship lines. Precise stopping at the designated spots. Ends with a competition where the last player is eliminated.
Triangle Tag and Ball Stealing
Taggers have a bib in hand, the tagger changes when someone is caught. Rules: - The tagger cannot catch a player who is running through a safe zone - Players cannot remain standing in a safe zone - No more than one player can enter the same safe zone Variation: The safe zone where the coach stands cannot be used Competition: A player gets a point every time they pass through a free point area while escaping. Who will be the first to get 10 points? Variation: Ball Stealing. When stealing, the ball must be gained under control. If the tagger only kicks the escaping player's ball out of the area, the tagger remains the tagger and the escapee retrieves the ball back to the area and continues dribbling. Otherwise, it follows the same principle as in tag.
Listen & Group Up
Area is a circle or square, some players with a ball and some without. The coach gives instructions on what kind of group to form, and players must follow the instruction. For example, "Four players, two balls!" The goal is to be able to form groups quickly; each task can also be given a time limit (e.g., 30s). Make it harder: More complex instructions, e.g., "Group with eight feet and two balls. Two hands on the ground!"
Warm-up Tag with Goals and Balls
The practice area is marked with cones of different colors. Most players have a ball, and one or more players act as taggers. The taggers' goal is to steal the ball from players in possession and score a goal in the goals located at the edges of the area. Players with the ball collect points by dribbling around two cones of different colors. The same colors cannot be used consecutively, but after each point, new cones of different colors must be found. If a player in possession loses the ball, the aim is to win it back immediately and continue collecting points. However, if the tagger scores a goal with a player's ball, the player retrieves the ball from the goal and continues collecting points. The playing time is, for example, one minute, after which both the taggers' and ball-possessing players' points are counted.
Kick your teammate's ball out of the area
At the start, all players are inside a rectangle with a ball. The purpose is to kick your teammate's ball out of the area, while keeping your own ball in the area/in possession for as long as possible. When a player's ball goes out of the area, the player doesn't stop playing, but instead tries to kick other players' balls out of the area. The last player with a ball in possession within the area wins.
Keep your side clean
The field is divided into two equal parts. Players are divided into two teams, whose purpose is to keep their own side of the field empty of balls. The winning team is the one that has fewer balls on their side when time expires.
Keep Your Side Clean (copy)
Field is divided into two equal parts. Players are divided into two teams, whose purpose is to keep their own side of the field empty of balls. The winning team is the one with fewer balls on their side when time expires.
Stealing balls to your own nest
The goal is to steal as many balls as possible for yourself in a certain time. At the beginning all balls are in the middle, from where everyone starts fetching one ball at a time to their own nest. When the balls run out from the middle, players must start stealing from other players. The game can be played as individuals, in pairs, or with a small team so that one player at a time goes to fetch a ball. The best sweat comes when playing alone.
Switching Game
Players on the outer edge have to switch positions so that the player in the middle doesn't reach the cone first. The player left without a cone moves to the middle. The switches can be arranged so that the coach shouts when players must switch positions or so that players start switching positions on their own. This can be done without a ball and with a ball.
Home Exchange
Players start from their own "home" and dribble one ball at a time to the opponents' homes. When all balls from their own home have been taken elsewhere, players continue emptying their homes by retrieving balls from other teams. Along the way, players can also try to steal balls from each other and take them to any home they want. The goal of the game is to get rid of the balls in your own home by dribbling them to other homes as quickly as possible. The team that has the fewest balls in their own home when time expires wins. There should be at least as many balls in the game as there are players.
Apple Thieves
Create one area in the middle where balls are initially collected. Outside this area, create areas or "baskets" where players are meant to dribble their stolen balls or "apples". In the central area, there are one or two homeowners who guard their apples. The other players are supposed to steal balls from the central area without being touched by the homeowner. Balls are dribbled with feet to their own baskets and cannot be stolen from others. If the homeowner touches a thief, the apples must be left in place and the thief must return to the game via their own basket. Can also be played using hands. Can also be played in teams, where one thief per team is moving at a time. Homeowners can be locked in the central area or they can also be allowed to leave to chase thieves. If chasing outside is allowed and a thief is caught, the ball must be left in place.
Mirror
1. One of the players or the coach is the "Mirror" and stands with their back to the others. 2. The other players form a line further away from the Mirror. 3. When the Mirror has their back turned, other players move toward them – either running, walking, or crawling (depending on the rules). 4. The Mirror can turn around at any time! 5. When the Mirror turns, all other players must stop immediately. If the Mirror sees someone moving, that player must return to the starting line. If the game includes a ball, the ball must be stopped as quickly as possible. 6. The game continues until someone touches the Mirror. That person then becomes the new Mirror.
Dodgeball
Dodgeball with feet. It is agreed that the ball must not rise above knee height and the inside of the foot must be used for kicking. Soft balls can also be used. The burned player becomes the burner and the winner is the last player in the middle. When playing with multiple balls, observation is emphasized.
Color Tag (Football Version)
1. Each player gets a colored bib (e.g., red, blue, green, yellow). 2. Everyone has a ball, and players dribble freely on the field. 3. The coach calls out one color, e.g., "Red!" 4. All players with that color become taggers, leave their balls in place, and try to steal balls from others. 5. If a player loses their ball, they perform a small task (e.g., 5 squats) and join the tagger team. 6. The game continues until all balls are lost or the coach calls a new color. For an additional challenge, the coach can call out two colors.
Football Fruit Salad
Starting position: Players form a circle, and one player goes to the center of the circle. How to start: The player in the center says what they like about football, for example a player: "I like Cole Palmer!", "I like footballs!", "I like running!", or "I like goals!". Reaction in the circle: Players in the circle think about whether they like the mentioned thing/player. If a player likes the mentioned thing, they start moving and change places with someone else who also likes the same thing (e.g., Cole Palmer). Competition for a spot: At the same time, the player in the center tries to get to one of the spots left by a player who moved from the circle. New player in the center: The one who is left without a spot goes to the center and says the next: "I like..." and chooses another football topic for the group to consider. Emergency situation: If the player in the center can't think of anything new or variation is needed, they can shout: "Ball is moving!", which means all players must change places.
Kick opponent's ball out of the area 2
In this exercise, players try to kick the opponent's ball with their own ball so that it goes out of bounds. If a player's ball goes out, the player goes to observe / juggle the ball outside the area until the end of the round. Can be played as an individual game or in teams.
Accuracy Kick Competition
Players are divided into two teams, positioned at the ends of the area. Balls are placed on top of cones in the middle of the area. The teams' task is to kick the ball accurately from behind the end boundaries of the area to hit the balls placed on top of the cones in the middle, causing them to fall. The winning team is the one that knocked down the most balls. After kicking, the player can retrieve the ball from their own half of the field.
Tag with ball in hands
In the warm-up, two taggers are chosen who have one ball. Only the tagger who has the ball in their hands can catch others by touching them. The taggers can pass the ball between themselves, but the ball cannot be thrown at the players being chased. When someone is caught, they become the new tagger, and the tagger who caught them switches to being chased. More balls and taggers can be added.
Tail Tag
Objective: Collect as many "tails" (bibs) from other players before time runs out. Rules: Each player has one tail (bib) hanging from the waistband of their shorts. Players try to snatch each other's tails while protecting their own. When a player steals a tail, they hold it in their hand and continue playing. They can have multiple tails in their hand, but only one can be hanging from their shorts at a time. If a player loses their only tail, they continue playing trying to capture a new tail from others. The game lasts 30 seconds – 1 minute per round. At the end of the round, count who has the most bibs. The player who collected the most tails wins. Can also be played with a ball.
Chain Tag
The game starts with one or two taggers who try to catch other players by touching them. When a player is caught, they also become a tagger and must hold hands with the previous taggers - thus forming a chain. The chain continues catching together, and each newly caught player joins the chain. The game continues until everyone has been caught. Alternative version: Players being chased can carry a ball with them.
Escape from the area
Players are divided into, for example, three different colors. Half of the players have a ball. Players must dribble through gates of the agreed color to escape from the area. The game can either start with challenge balls put in by the coach, and in the following rounds, those players who didn't escape in the previous round start with the ball.
Bank Robbery
Players try to get past two guards who are protecting gold bars (i.e., cones) in the middle of the area. 1. Starting setup: In the middle of the area, there are several gold bars that players try to steal. Guards stand in their own areas at both ends and prevent players from progressing. The first guard's task is to prevent players from entering the bank vault where the gold bars are located. The second guard's task is to prevent players from escaping with the gold bar from the bank vault to safety. 2. Players' task: Players must try to get past the first guard and reach a gold bar. Once a player has grabbed a gold bar, they try to escape past the second guard to safety. 3. Guards' task: Guards try to stop players by catching them with a touch. If a guard touches a player, they return to the starting point and wait for a new round. Guards can move freely within their own designated areas. Can be played with or without a ball. Create more competition by assigning different values to different colored gold bars, e.g., red is worth three points, blue is worth two points, and yellow is worth one point.
Circle Rumba
A version of the classic musical chairs game, but with a ball and circles. Music can be played and when the music stops, players need to find a circle for themselves as quickly as possible. It can also be done so that the coach shouts/shows an agreed signal when players need to find a circle. The player who remains without a circle is eliminated from the game and moves slightly to the side to juggle the ball. One circle is removed.
Bowling Competition
Divide players into two or more teams depending on the number of players. The teams' objective is to dribble the ball through a slalom course and then take an accurate shot at the pins from a marked area. After shooting, the player runs through the slalom course without the ball and returns to the line with a new ball. The first team to knock down all pins wins.
Team Building Exercise
Divide the players into three groups. The goal is to get all players transferred to the other side of the area using different styles. The fastest team wins. Variations: -Players must carry each other to the other side, but one player can only carry another player once. -Move in a line, where the first player has the ball. The ball must be rolled by hand between the legs of everyone in the line to the last player, who takes the ball in their hands and runs to the front of the line. -Move in a line, where the first player has the ball. The ball is passed to the player behind by reaching over your own head. The last player moves to the front of the line with the ball. -The ball(s) must be transported by the group to the other side of the area in such a way that after the start, no player touches the ball with their hands or feet.
Tag with Rescuers
In this drill there are taggers, players who can be tagged, and rescuers. The rescuers dribble the ball to the tagged players and rescue them using an agreed style. Agreed styles could be for example a pass through the legs, throw and header back, ten passes back and forth etc. Remember to switch roles!
Captain Says
A classic game where one player or the coach acts as the captain. The captain gives commands (e.g., "Captain says dribble with your left foot!", "Captain says stop the ball by sitting!", "Captain says dribble around the cone!", "Captain says shoot at goal!"). If the captain doesn't say "Captain says" and a player follows the command, they lose a point or have to wait for the next round.
Soccer Snake
Players line up in a queue, each with their own ball. The first player starts dribbling, and the others follow at the same pace. The coach can shout "snake's tail changes!", at which point the last player in the queue moves to the front. The coach can specify different styles of ball dribbling, e.g. using soles of feet, only with one foot, etc. The snake must stay together without players colliding with each other!
Bowling Competition 2
Cones are placed in a row on both sides of the area. Players are divided into two teams. The players' task is to knock down the opposing team's cones by kicking the ball from their own half. The winning team is the one that first manages to knock down all of the opponent's cones.
Player with ball is safe -tag
Players hold balls in their hands and pass to each other by throwing. A player holding a ball is always safe. The goal of players with balls is to also protect their teammates by preventing the tagger from catching them for as long as possible. To ensure activity in the drill, a rule can be added that everyone must be in constant movement so that the game doesn't stop.
Beehive Tag
One or two players start as bees (taggers), and their task is to try to sting the beekeepers (other players) by touching them. Everyone has a ball. First sting: The player must keep one hand on the "sting site" (e.g., leg or side) while continuing to dribble. Second sting: The player must also keep their other hand on a new sting site, which makes dribbling more challenging. Third sting: The player has received too many stings and must visit the "medical point" in a marked area in the center of the field. The player can return to the game by completing a task, such as 15 juggles or 20 inside-of-foot touches alternating feet. When the task is completed, the player returns to the game.
Traffic Light Game
The coach is on the other side of the area with two different colored cones (e.g., green and red). The coach shouts "Green!" with their back turned to the players, and the players are allowed to dribble. The coach shouts "Red!" and turns around after two seconds to look at the players' balls. The players' goal is to dribble the ball in a way that the coach cannot see the ball moving. Players themselves are allowed to move in front of the coach. If the coach sees the ball moving, the player dribbling that ball must return to the starting point. The winner and possibly the new "traffic light" is the player who first crosses the goal line at the other end. This can also be implemented so that the "traffic light" only shows the colors, e.g., by raising a certain colored cone in the air and then turning around.
Deer Hunting
The "hunters" position themselves on the sides of the practice area, and the "deer" start from the ends. The goal is to get to the other side of the area without being hit by the hunters' balls. If a hunter hits a deer, the deer becomes a hunter. The balls may not rise above knee height. The winner is the last deer remaining.
Keep Possession of the Ball
Can the dribbler make it to the other side while maintaining possession? One player positions at the end of the area and the rest go to the sides of the area. All players have a ball and it's good to have extra balls nearby. The red player starts dribbling the ball to the opposite end and the players on the sides try to kick their own ball at the dribbler's ball so that it leaves the area. The red player can stop, feint and move at their own pace.
Bounce Pass Challenge
Players work in pairs with one ball. The purpose is to pass the ball so that it bounces once before the other player passes it back. The winning team is the one that manages to make the most consecutive passes without mistakes or the most completions in one minute.
Knock down the cones game
Can be played with 2v2 - 5v5 teams. The goal is to knock down as many cones as possible as a team. Cones are knocked down only by kicking the ball at them. Different colored cones can be assigned different points, e.g. blue three points, yellow two points and red one point.
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