Ages 13–18

Drills for Forwards

Finishing, holding the ball up, beating a defender and pressing from the front. 48 drills from Spatrian’s programme, each with its set-up, its steps and what to watch for. Put any of them in a session with the practice plan builder.

Warm-Up Jog & Stretch

Light jog around cones, followed by dynamic stretches (leg swings, arm circles, lunges).

1 or more · 5 min · 30×30 ft · Beginner

Toe Taps & Sole Rolls

Alternate tapping the top of the ball with each foot (toe taps), then roll the ball forward/back with the sole.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 10×10 ft · Beginner

Wall Passing (Solo) / Partner Passing

Stand 5-8m apart. Pass the ball back and forth using the inside of the foot.

1 to 2 · 10 min · 30×15 ft · Beginner

Cone Weave Dribble

Set up 5-6 cones in a line (2m apart). Dribble through using small touches with both feet.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 40×15 ft · Beginner

Target Practice

Set up targets (cones, water bottles) in a goal area. Shoot from 8-12m trying to hit them.

1 to 2 · 10 min · 45×25 ft · Intermediate

1v1 to Mini Goal

Take turns attacking and defending. Attacker tries to dribble past and score in a mini goal.

2 · 10 min · 40×25 ft · Intermediate

Ladder & Cone Agility

Quick feet through a ladder (or cones as substitutes), followed by short sprints.

1 to 4 · 10 min · 40×15 ft · Beginner

Juggling Challenge

Keep the ball in the air using feet, thighs, and head. Count consecutive touches.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 10×10 ft · Intermediate

Cool-Down & Debrief

Slow jog, static stretches (30s each: quads, hamstrings, calves, groin), and chat about what went well.

1 or more · 5 min · 20×20 ft · Beginner

Rondo 3v1

Three players keep possession against one defender in small grid.

4 · 10 min · 33×33 ft · Intermediate

1v1 Channel

Attacker tries to beat defender in narrow channel to score.

2 · 15 min · 40×20 ft · Intermediate

Shooting from the Box

Receive pass and shoot from various positions inside the box.

1 to 4 · 15 min · 54×54 ft · Intermediate

Sprint Intervals

Repeated 30m sprints with walk-back recovery.

1 or more · 15 min · 100×20 ft · Intermediate

Possession Game 4v4

4v4 possession game in defined area — team with most passes wins.

8 or more · 20 min · 82×66 ft · Advanced

Two-Grid Transition Rondo

Keep the ball in one grid, then break into the next one the moment it opens up.

2 to 6 · 15 min · 66×33 ft · Advanced

1v1 Continuous Transitions

Attack, and the second the ball is gone you are the defender for the next one.

2 to 4 · 15 min · 50×40 ft · Intermediate

Up, Back and Through

Pass in, get it laid back, then slide it through for the runner. Three players, one moving ball.

1 to 3 · 12 min · 66×33 ft · Intermediate

Five-Second Win-It-Back Box

Lose the ball and you have five seconds to get it straight back before they escape the box.

2 to 6 · 15 min · 66×66 ft · Advanced

4v2 Press Trap

Two defenders work as a pair to shepherd the ball into one half of the grid, then take it.

4 to 6 · 15 min · 40×40 ft · Advanced

2v2 with Bumpers

Two against two, with a spare player on each touchline who always plays for whoever has the ball.

4 to 6 · 15 min · 52×46 ft · Intermediate

Three-Colour Agility Maze

Quick feet through a small grid, exiting through whichever colour gets called.

1 to 2 · 10 min · 26×26 ft · Beginner

Rondo with the Escape Dribble

Keep-away where a player under pressure is allowed to dribble out instead of passing.

2 to 4 · 12 min · 33×33 ft · Advanced

Blind-Side Check and Slip Pass

One player disappears behind the defender's shoulder; the other slides it into the gap.

2 to 3 · 12 min · 50×33 ft · Advanced

Back-to-Goal Hold-Up and Turn

Receive with someone behind you, hold them off, and turn only when it is on.

2 · 12 min · 40×26 ft · Intermediate

2v2 Micro-Pitch

Two against two in a tiny area. Very short, very intense, full recovery between rounds.

4 · 12 min · 26×26 ft · Advanced

Three-Second Win-It-Back Duel

The instant you lose it, you have three seconds to take it back before they are out.

2 · 10 min · 20×20 ft · Intermediate

Wall First Touch

Pass into a wall and kill the returning ball dead with one touch, then play it back with the next.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 10×10 ft · Intermediate

Tight Box Dribbling

Keep the ball moving inside a small square for a full minute without it crossing a line.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 12×12 ft · Beginner

Four-Turn Circuit

One turn at each of four cones — drag-back, inside hook, outside hook and Cruyff — round and round.

1 (solo) · 12 min · 15×15 ft · Intermediate

Weak Foot Only

Two minutes against a wall using nothing but the foot they avoid.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 18×12 ft · Beginner

Cut and Go

Accelerate to a cone, brake properly, cut, and accelerate away again.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 20×20 ft · Intermediate

Sole Roll Turns

Move the ball with the sole only, rolling it across the body and dragging it back to turn, the way futsal players keep it close on a hard floor.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 12×10 ft · Beginner

Toe Poke Finish

Shoot with the toe of the shoe into a small gate against a wall, from a still ball and then a rolling one: the quick finish futsal players use when a defender is close.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 30×15 ft · Beginner

Pull-Push

Pull the ball back with the sole and push it forward with the laces of the same foot, in a rhythm, then away at an angle: futsal's most basic way to keep the ball moving under a defender.

1 (solo) · 8 min · 8×8 ft · Beginner

Sole Combinations

Chain sole rolls with inside and outside touches in fixed combinations, called out loud: the footwork futsal players link together to beat a defender in a tight space.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 10×6 ft · Intermediate

Pivô Hold-Up and Lay-Off

Receive with your back to goal like a futsal pivô, stop the ball under the sole while shielding it, and lay it off first time to a runner arriving from behind.

1 to 2 · 12 min · 30×15 ft · Intermediate

Turn and Toe Poke

Receive a ball off the wall with your back to the target, turn with a sole drag, and finish with a toe poke through a cone gate before a defender could close: the pivô's quickest finish.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 30×15 ft · Intermediate

Wing 1v1 with the Sole Stop

Run at a defender down a narrow wing, stop the ball dead under the sole to freeze them, then go again past them: the futsal ala's way of beating a player on the touchline.

2 · 12 min · 30×12 ft · Intermediate

Indoor Warm-Up & Mobility

A five-minute warm-up that fits a hallway: marching, skipping on the spot, leg swings and lunges, no ball and no run.

1 or more · 5 min · 10×8 ft · Beginner

Single-Leg Balance Circuit

Single-leg holds, reaches and airplane holds on a square of floor: the ankle strength a sharp first step is built on.

1 or more · 8 min · 6×6 ft · Beginner

Fast Feet & Lateral Shuffle

Quick feet on the spot, side shuffles across a metre and small forward-back hops: the footwork a player uses between every touch.

1 or more · 8 min · 8×6 ft · Intermediate

Core for the Strike

Plank, side plank, dead bugs and glute bridges: the trunk a strike, a jump and a shoulder-to-shoulder duel all come from.

1 or more · 10 min · 7×7 ft · Intermediate

Skater Bounds & Line Hops

Side-to-side bounds and quick two-footed hops over a line on the floor, landed soft: change-of-direction power that needs no ceiling height.

1 or more · 8 min · 10×6 ft · Intermediate

Figure-Eight Dribble

Dribbling a figure of eight round two cones a stride apart with small touches, both feet, head up: close control in a space a hallway has.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 10×6 ft · Beginner

V-Pulls & L-Turns

Two ball-mastery moves on one square of floor: the V-pull that drags the ball back and pushes it out, and the L-turn that drags it behind the standing leg.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 8×8 ft · Intermediate

Sole Taps & Drag-Backs on a Line

A line on the floor as the ruler: sole taps along it, drag-backs across it and inside-outside taps either side, the fastest feet in the smallest space.

1 (solo) · 8 min · 10×6 ft · Beginner

Outside-of-the-Foot Wall Pass

Passes off a wall with the outside of the foot, the pass that disguises where the ball is going, from four steps back in a garage or a basement.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 12×10 ft · Intermediate

Receive, Half-Turn, Pass

Play the wall, open the body as the ball comes back, take the first touch across the body through a gate and pass again: the midfielder's half-turn off a wall.

1 (solo) · 10 min · 15×10 ft · Intermediate

More drills

All drillsStriker trainingWinger trainingPassing DrillsDribbling DrillsDefending DrillsScanning DrillsFirst Touch DrillsShooting DrillsSpeed and Agility DrillsDrills for GoalkeepersDrills for DefendersDrills for MidfieldersTeam Soccer Drills for PracticeWall DrillsDrills Without ConesIndoor Drills

Every drill, read aloud and on the record

In Spatrian the Audio Coach talks a player through these drills while they play, and each run goes on their own training record, which their coach or personal trainer can read. The beta is opening to a small first group of players, coaches and families.