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.
Hear the coach on this drill
Every line the Audio Coach says in this drill, played back to back; the time beside each is when it comes in the 8-minute drill. No account needed.
Set-up
A straight line on the floor made with tape, a rope or the edge of a rug, with a stride of space on either side, one ball sitting on it and shoes with grip. The parent stands at the end of the line to count the taps and to watch the standing heel.
What you need
- 1 soccer ball
- 2 cones or shoes to mark a line
The ground: 10 × 6 ft (about 3 × 2 m). One child can run it alone in a backyard. The space and equipment check lists every drill that fits the ground you have.
How to run it
- Set up. A line on the floor with a stride of space either side. One ball on the line. Shoes with grip.
- Sole taps. Alternate feet tapping the top of the ball, hopping lightly on the standing foot. Thirty seconds.
- Roll along. Roll the ball along the line with the sole, a step at a time, there and back. Three lengths.
- Drag-back across. Sole on top, drag the ball back across the line, stop it with the other foot, drag it back again. Thirty seconds.
- Inside-outside. Tap the ball from the inside of one foot to the inside of the other across the line, never letting it stop. Thirty seconds.
- Count it. One last thirty seconds of sole taps, counting every tap. Write it down.
Coaching points
- Light on the balls of the feet; the standing heel never settles
- Small bounces, small taps: height and reach both slow the rhythm
- Look up every few taps; the ball is where you left it
What to watch: The standing heel flat on the floor and the eyes glued to the ball. Light on the toes, and look up between taps.
Common mistakes
- The standing heel settling flat on the floor so the next touch is late
- Big bounces and long reaches, which both slow the rhythm
- Eyes glued to the ball for the whole thirty seconds
- The ball wandering off the line in the drag-backs
- Leaning back from the ball instead of staying over it
What good looks like
A good target: 60 sole taps in 30 seconds with the standing heel never flat on the floor.
Progressions and variations
Making it harder
- Level 1: Each part at a walk, the ball stopped between taps if needed
- Level 2: The thirty-second rounds with the heel kept light
- Level 3: Eyes up on a fixed point for every other tap
- Level 4: The taps moving along the line as they go
- Level 5: A sibling calls 'change' and taps switch to drag-backs on the word
- Level 6: Seventy taps in thirty seconds with the heel never flat
Alone, with a sibling, or in a group
- Solo: a taped line, a phone timer, chasing taps in thirty seconds.
- Sibling: two lines side by side, counting taps against each other each round.
- Co-op: a long line of players, one leader calling the change from taps to drag-backs.
Adjusting it by age
- U14: Shorter rounds and the counting done together, with the heel the only thing being corrected. The rhythm comes before the number.
- U18: Full rounds, the eyes up, and the tap count written down week to week. Pair it with the V-pulls so the fast feet carry into a move.
For the parent running it
- Count the taps in each thirty seconds and watch the heel. The standing heel stays off the floor, or the next touch is late.
Safety
- Shoes with grip on a smooth floor; sole taps in socks slide
- Nothing breakable within a ball's roll of the line
More on training safely at home: Safety at Home.
Related drills
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.
Juggling Challenge
Keep the ball in the air using feet, thighs, and head. Count consecutive touches.
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.
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.
Run it with the Audio Coach
In Spatrian the Audio Coach talks your player through this drill while they play it, and each run goes on their own training record, which their coach or personal trainer can read and, for a homeschool family, counts as PE time. The beta is opening to a small first group of players and families.