Ages 13–18

Team Soccer Drills for Practice

Drills for four or more players at once: rondos, small-sided games, pressing and defensive shape. 26 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.

A squad in black training tops does walking lunges in two lines down a dewy school field while the coach calls the count.

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

Three teenagers race on their toes through side-by-side speed ladders as the coach crouches with a stopwatch.

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

A muddy squad sits stretching in the centre circle after training while the coach sits among them talking.

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

Three players in navy bibs hold the corners of a coned box and pass round a sprinting defender in red.

Rondo 3v1

Three players keep possession against one defender in small grid.

4 · 10 min · 33×33 ft · Intermediate

A teenager in red strikes first time from the edge of the box past a sliding defender as the keeper spreads.

Shooting from the Box

Receive pass and shoot from various positions inside the box.

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

A player in teal sprints after her pass to the next cone as her teammate receives on the half-turn.

Triangle Passing

Three players form triangle, pass and follow or pass and move.

3 or more · 15 min · 33×33 ft · Intermediate

A back five in grey shifts across, the far-side full-back tucked narrow, as the coach moves the ball wide.

Defensive Shape Drill

Practice maintaining defensive line and shifting as a unit.

4 to 8 · 20 min · 66×66 ft · Intermediate

Six players in black drive out of a sprint start low and hard, the first three steps a half-yard apart.

Sprint Intervals

Repeated 30m sprints with walk-back recovery.

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

A teammate in a lime bib steps sideways into an angle for the pass as the player on the ball is pressed in 4v4.

Possession Game 4v4

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

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

A player drives the break-out pass into the second grid as teammates in yellow sprint after it and pressers turn.

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

A player looks over her shoulder for the called coloured gate before the ball arrives, defenders closing.

Colour-Call Rondo

Normal keep-away, except a colour gets called and the next pass has to go towards that colour.

2 to 5 · 12 min · 40×40 ft · Intermediate

A player in navy turns instantly to win the ball back from the attacker in orange who has just nicked it.

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

One player in a pink bib sprints at the ball while three teammates fan out to cut passing lanes.

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

A player in maroon receives on his back foot with his body already open as a presser arrives too late.

Half-Turn Diamond

Check away, receive side-on with the back foot, and play forward on the second touch.

1 to 4 · 12 min · 50×33 ft · Intermediate

Two pressers in orange bibs hunt as a close pair to shut the pass through them in a 4v2.

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

With the middle blocked, a player in yellow plays the ball out to a bumper on the side line in a 2v2.

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

A player in sky blue dribbles out of a rondo square past a lunging presser as the coach asks why.

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

A back four in black slides across together, the far-side defender tucked narrow as the ball is switched.

Zonal Sliding Screen

A defending line shifts across together to shut whichever side the ball is on.

3 to 6 · 15 min · 66×66 ft · Intermediate

In a flat-out 2v2 on a tiny pitch, a player in teal moves to an angle to support his hassled teammate.

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

A player in white waits for the defender to commit, then splits him with a pass in a 3v1.

3v1 Keep-Away with Split Passes

Keep-away where a pass played between the defender's legs or either side of them is worth double.

4 · 10 min · 33×26 ft · Intermediate

A midfielder checks over his shoulder while the ball is still travelling to him in the centre circle.

Midfield Pivot Scanning

Receive in the middle and move the ball to whichever of four gates gets called.

1 to 4 · 12 min · 50×50 ft · Advanced

A team in navy do leg swings in a line at the gym wall bars while a coach counts.

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

A squad in green stands on one foot with eyes shut in a loose grid in a church hall.

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

Pairs in maroon shuffle between cones in a gym, one working and one counting.

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

A squad in navy holds planks on a row of mats while a coach checks the hips.

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

A team in gold bounds sideways over a gym line together, long and low.

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

More drills

All drills Passing Drills Dribbling Drills Defending Drills Scanning Drills First Touch Drills Shooting Drills Speed and Agility Drills Drills for Goalkeepers Drills for Defenders Drills for Midfielders Drills for Forwards Wall Drills Drills Without Cones Indoor 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.

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