Work on individual technique with passing, first touch, dribbling, skills, finishing, heading and crossing drills. Each page details the technical action, the most common mistakes and how to progress towards situations with opposition.
62 drills
62 drills
The most widely used rehearsed corner in the modern game: driven inswinging delivery to the near post, a legal block on the zonal marker, a glancing flick-on and the far-post runners arriving to finish.
Horst Wein's small-sided game that inspired the DFB and FIFA 3v3 formats: 3v3 without keepers on 25x25 yards, each team defending two 3-yard goals set apart on its end line and attacking the two opposite ones. Players learn to look up and switch the point of attack.
The most famous grassroots game: minnows dribble across the grid while two sharks without a ball try to kick their ball out. Lose your ball and you become a shark; the last minnow wins.
Four stations around the box linked at match tempo: skill move at the mannequin and shot, one-two around the mannequin and shot, dribble to the byline with a pull-back, and pass-overlap-cross attacked by three players.
A line of mannequins acts as the defence: the central player combines with a winger and threads the pass for the opposite winger, who runs diagonally in behind the line and finishes.
Four-station circuit Pep Guardiola ran in his first pre-season at Bayern: wall pass after getting beyond the mannequin, long switch, first-time lay-off, through ball and finish. Every player rotates to the next station.
The classic Dutch square from the Ajax academy: pass to the next corner, wall pass back and a through ball for the teammate already running to the next line. Continuous tempo with one and two touches.
The foundational rondo of the Ajax-Cruyff school: four possession players on the sides of a 10x10 m square against one defender inside. Slide along your own side, pass with the far foot, and whoever loses the ball goes in the middle.
Y-shaped passing sequence: support, lay-off to the third man and a pass into space to finish against the keeper. A pre-season classic for passing, movement and timing.
Classic four-versus-two rondo in an 8x8 m square with a maximum of two touches. Works circulation speed, constant support and the coordinated pressing of the two defenders.
Wave finishing drill: the attacker plays a wall pass with a target player at the edge of the box and finishes first time past the goalkeeper. Accuracy, timing and finishing.
Diamond passing pattern in which the ball reaches the third man through a support touch and a first-time lay-off. Develops timing, pass weight and support movement.
Central free-kick training from 18-25 m with a mannequin wall at 9.15 m: direct strikes over or around the wall, and a rehearsed routine with a dummy run over the ball and a sideways lay-off for a third player to strike.
Complete organisation of zonal defending at corners: two players on the posts, three headers along the six-yard line, three in a second line, one player disrupting the taker and one or two ready for the counter-attack.
Rehearsed short-corner routine from Atlanta United: short pass to pin the defender who steps out, the central players spin to the back post and a late third attacker overlaps to cross from the byline with a 2v1 advantage.
Three-station circuit on a half pitch in blocks of 4 minutes of work and 4 of recovery: hurdle hops and pole slalom, coordination ladder with pass and shot, and a maximum three-touch dribble before finishing.
Foundation game (U4-U8): pirates dribble out from their ship, dodge the two or three guards, knock over a tall treasure cone with the ball and dribble home carrying the cone. The team that collects the most treasure wins.
Relay race in groups of 2-3 in 5x10 yard channels: dribble to the end of the channel, stop the ball, turn with the requested move (drag-back, Cruyff turn, inside or outside hook) and come back to hand over to a teammate. First group to complete five trips wins.
Simplified situation from the Barça academy: the defender passes to the attacker and steps out to press; the attacker must read the defender's position and score in one of two mini goals on a 20x15 m area. Take-on, change of direction and decision.
Pairs duel inside a 10x10 m square with a 1 m cone gate on each side: the attacker can score by dribbling through any of the four gates and the defender, starting central, must read and close. Constant changes of angle and lots of take-ons in 8 minutes.
1v1 duel on a 20x30 yard field with four to six tall cones on each end line as targets: the attacker must beat the defender and knock a cone over with a pass or a low shot. When every cone on one side is down, roles switch.
Foundation game (U4-U8): everyone dribbles around the island and the coach holds up a coloured disc. Green, dribble fast; amber, turn and burst away; red, stop the ball with the sole. Heads must come up to see the colour.
Everyone with a ball inside a 20x20 m square: keep your own ball under control while trying to kick everyone else's out of the ring. Lose your ball and you are out; the last player standing is king of the ring.
The grassroots classic: six 1-yard gates spread across a 15x20 yard rectangle; every player scores a point for each gate dribbled through in 60 seconds, never the same gate twice in a row.
In grassroots football (ages 6 to 12) technique comes first: lots of touches, repetitions and games. From U15 onwards technical drills are integrated into tactical situations with opposition.
Add a passive defender, limit touches, demand a finish within a time limit or turn the passing pattern into a team competition. The progressions on each page give concrete ideas.