Day 4 Coaching Tips from Brian: How to Engage Kids in Finishing Drills

Tonight's skills are defending and finishing. The shooting drills tend to get old quickly with players.  Consider spending more of your time tonight focusing on setting up some small sided games.  This means little games with a point. 

With the oldest age groups, 5 vs. 2 is probably the best game to use to get the point about having depth between defenders.  Additionally, 4 vs. 4 keep away is a fantastic drill.  Award 1 point for each pass, 5 points for a pass that "splits" two defenders.  

Another drill that works really well is to set up a field kind of like four square- in this drill you have 4 squares labeled 1-4.  There is a player with a pinnie in each square and a player without a pinnie in each square.  The purpose of the game is to get each player to both receive and make a pass.  Once all four players do that, it's a point.  

Another easy scrimmage game you can set up is basically a scrimmage (say 6 on 6) but you have 3 defenders who can't go over midfield and 2 strikers who can't go behind midfield and one player who can go wherever they like. Or, you can simplify it and say 3 forwards and 3 defenders, each has to stay in their zone.  Play with no goalie.  

As a reminder, there are thousands of drills available on youtube that you can check out.  Any drill that is fun, gets lots of players involved and works on defending and maintaining possession are good drills to add in for the oldest age group.