Core Drill
Gates
A reusable grid of cone gates that can teach dribbling, passing, receiving, movement, and decision-making.
- Dribbling
- Passing
- Receiving
- Ball control
HedgehogsU8 SoccerCoaches’ corner
Hedgehogs
Drill Library
Our practices use a small library of familiar activities. Players learn the setup once, allowing coaches to change the soccer problem instead of constantly teaching new games.
Learn the drill. Change the challenge. Develop the player.Our coaching philosophy
Learn the drill once.
Change the soccer problem.
Repeat familiar activities and adjust the focus, scoring, pressure, or constraints. More playing. Less explaining.
12 drills
Core Drill
1v1 Channel
A narrow field creates repeated attacker-versus-defender situations with a clear direction to goal.
- 1v1 attacking
- Dribbling
- Defending
- Transition
Core Drill
Four Goals
A small-sided game with two scoring options at each end that teaches players to recognize and use space.
- Width
- Support
- Dribbling
- Passing
Core Drill
Numbers Game
The coach serves a ball and calls players into changing matchups, from 1v1 through small-sided overloads.
- 1v1
- 2v1
- 2v2
- Decision making
Core Drill
2v2 Continuous
Fast 2v2 games where a new group and a new ball enter immediately after every goal or ball out.
- Passing
- Dribbling
- Support
- Defending
Core Drill
Small-Sided Game
Normal soccer in a 2v2, 3v3, or 4v4 format, with one clear coaching objective shaping the game.
- All game skills
- Decision making
- Teamwork
Change of Pace
Knockout
Every player protects their own ball while trying to knock opponents’ balls out of the grid—without elimination.
- Shielding
- Ball control
- Awareness
- Defending
Change of Pace
Tag Games
A playful drill family that develops awareness, direction changes, speed changes, dribbling, and passing.
- Awareness
- Dribbling
- Change of direction
- Change of speed
Change of Pace
Pong
A simple two-player passing competition that rewards accuracy, weight of pass, and a useful first touch.
- Passing accuracy
- Weight of pass
- Receiving
- First touch
Change of Pace
Clean Your Room
Teams pass soccer balls out of their room and into the opponent’s room before time expires.
- Striking
- Passing technique
- Accuracy
- Awareness
Specialty
Passing Triangles
An occasional three-player technical activity for passing, receiving, first touch, and movement around cones.
- Passing
- Receiving
- First touch
- Movement
Specialty
Air-Ball Receiving
Simple partner toss-and-control activities that introduce safe receiving of bouncing and aerial balls.
- Receiving bouncing balls
- Thigh control
- Chest control
- Cushioning the ball