Weak Foot Only

Set-up

About five steps from a solid wall, with a square roughly one metre across marked on the ground where the returning ball should arrive. One ball. The single rule that makes this drill work is that the strong foot does not touch the ball at any point, so it is worth saying out loud before starting and repeating when the first bad touch tempts a rescue.

What you need

• 1 soccer ball
• Wall or rebounder

The ground: 18 × 12 ft (about 5 × 4 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

1. Set up. About five steps from a wall. Mark a square on the ground roughly one metre across.
2. Weak foot only. Everything from here is the foot they avoid. No sneaking the strong foot in to rescue a bad touch.
3. Plant foot. The standing foot points at the wall. On the weak side it will want to point away — that is the fault to fix.
4. Locked ankle. Inside of the foot with a stiff ankle. Push through the ball rather than swinging at it.
5. Receive and return. Same foot receives, same foot passes. Two touches.
6. Two minutes. Count how many of forty come back inside the square. Expect it to look untidy at first.

Coaching points

• The plant foot points at the target — this is where weak-foot passes go wrong
• The strong foot never touches the ball for the whole drill
• Push through the ball rather than swinging a loose leg at it

What to watch: The plant foot. It should point where the pass is going, and on the weak side it usually points somewhere else entirely.

Common mistakes

• The plant foot pointing away from the target, which sends the pass wide before the kicking foot moves
• Sneaking the strong foot in to rescue a heavy touch, which protects the habit being broken
• Swinging a loose leg at the ball instead of pushing through it with a firm ankle
• Standing too close, so there is no time to set the feet properly
• Giving up when it looks untidy — the first few minutes are supposed to look poor
• Using the toe rather than the inside of the foot, which is where the accuracy goes

What good looks like

A good target: 30 of 40 weak-foot passes returning inside a one-metre square in 2 minutes.

Progressions and variations

Making it harder

• Level 1: Stationary weak-foot passes into the wall with no return required
• Level 2: Receive and return, no timer, no counting
• Level 3: Two timed minutes counting successful returns
• Level 4: Move back a step so the pass has to travel further
• Level 5: One-touch weak foot — return without controlling first
• Level 6: Receive with the strong foot but pass with the weak, as in a game
• Level 7: Weak foot for a whole session including any small-sided game afterwards

Alone, with a sibling, or in a group

• Solo: count how many of forty return inside the square.
• Sibling: pass to each other weak foot only, counting the pair total.
• Co-op: everybody weak foot for the whole session, including the parent.

Adjusting it by age

• U14: Move a step closer and drop the timer entirely for the first few weeks. Count successes rather than attempts, and make the point that everybody's weak foot looks like this at the start — that framing is what keeps them coming back to it.
• U18: Add distance and pace, work one-touch, and carry the rule into the rest of the session so the weak foot is used under fatigue and pressure rather than only in isolation. Track the count week to week; the climb is the evidence.

For the parent running it

• The strong foot does not touch the ball at all. It will look bad for a few minutes — that is the drill working.

Safety

• Confirm the wall is solid and has no windows or glass in range

More on training safely at home: Safety at Home.

Why it matters

None