King of The 18

      Another one of those games (drills) that kids love.

B is the defender shown above. A is the attacker. Everyone in line A has a ball of their own and is lined up in single line about 30 yards out from goal. On the coach's whistle the first person in line A dribbles in and attempts to make a "move" and get by the defender "B". B's job is to tackle the ball away. Both players must be aggressive. This is not a delaying drill. If A can get around B he can then (and only then) take a shot at the goal. Only one shot can be taken. If he scores he gets a goal. If Player A gets a shot off then Player B must get the ball out of the goal or shag the ball if player A misses. Player B then makes a wide sweep to the back of line A and becomes an attacker. On the other hand if Player B is able to tackle the ball away the he gets a point and proceeds to the back of line A and becomes an attacker.
The really fun part of this drill happens as soon as the ball is tackled away or the shot is taken. At that point the coach blows his whistle and Player A is no longer the attacker but must immediately turn around and defend against the next player in the line. This teaches transition from offense to defense. I have yet to have a player who, running this drill for the first (and often second, third, fourth, etc.) time, after scoring starts celebrating - only to find a new attacker dribbling up his back and taking a shot. The first attacker is shocked every time. Of course the next player who is able to score quite easily does the exact same thing. Young players have no idea that as soon as they shoot they must play defense and this drill teaches them that.
I have had teams that were very aggressive offensively but who were subject to defenses who laid back, packed it in around the penalty area, and immediately launched a quick counter-attack. This drill provides a basis for transition defense. This drill can be run with as many as three rows of attackers/defender. A separate row can be placed on each side of the configuration shown above. Players swap lines after each turn.
The key in this drill is for the coach to have a quick whistle. Do not let the players drag out this drill. If a player can not make an immediate move around a defender and turns his back to the goal you should whistle for the next attacker to begin his attack. The old attacker must give up his ball and become a defender or risk a quick empty net goal.
The trend in soccer is away from drills with players standing in lines (and justifiably so) but this drill, if run properly, is an all-out aerobic exercise. Once you run this drill several times it will become apparent who you should have playing your striker positions. Having the players keep score makes this even more competitive.
This drill was another taught to me by Charlie Zarzour of Huntsville, Alabama at a USSF Coaching clinic.
 

Created: 12/20/99
Last Updated: 06/06/03

Since February 24, 1999
FastCounter by LinkExchange

  Web Administrator    Ken Gamble