U16 Practice Plan - Finishing and Shooting
U16 Practice Plan - Finishing and Shooting
In this practice session players and goalies will get a lot of shots. It is a 90 minute practice session for the U16 age level with a focus on shooting and finishing. The drills in this session work on attacking concepts with a lot of timing runs and shooting from various positions. The practice ends with a game that incorporates a lot of the concepts and requires timing runs, quick decision making, and moving constantly without the ball.
Here is the outline for the practice session:
- Barcelona Give & Go Shooting - (10 minutes)
- Through Ball Passing and Shooting - (10 minutes)
- Continuous Onside Runs - (10 minutes)
- Timing Runs - (10 minutes)
- ABC React Drill - (15 minutes)
- 3 vs 3 Transition Game - (20 minutes)
Barcelona Give & Go Shooting Drill
Set Up:
Set up four cones just outside of the penalty area, with a shooting line ten yards behind the area. Two players are stationed on the cones. Player 1 double passes with Player 2, and then plays the next pass up to Player 3. After making his return pass to Player 1, Player 2 spins around the cone and runs to goal. Player 3 lays the ball off for Player 2 to finish. Upon completion, Player 3 goes to the shooting line, Player 2 goes to Player 3's spot, and Player 1 goes to Player 2's spot.
Through Ball Passing and Finishing Drill
Set Up:
Two lines of players start at the big cones. Player 1 begins the drill with a dribbling run, moving past the last cone as quickly as possible. Player 2 starts the run to goal at the same time, timing his run so that he will still be onsides when the thru pass is struck by Player 1. Player 2 collects the thru pass and finishes. Upon completion, the player go to the other line. Coaches should position themselves even with the last cone so that they can call offsides.
Continuous Onside Runs
Set Up:
Three lines of players are stationed at the cones in and around the penalty area. Player 1 begins the drill with a pass out to Player 2. After passing, Player 1 makes a run in behind the mannequin. Player 2 passes to Player 3 running out from the penalty spot, and then Player 3 plays the ball thru for Player 1 to finish. The players rotate clockwise to the next spot after the shot.
Timing Runs
Set Up:
Set up the drill with two Feeders as shown with an abundance of soccer balls. Place four cones just outside the 18 yard box (as shown) and place players at each set of cones. When Feeder #1 is playing the ball, then Players 1, 3, and 4 will get activated. They time their runs to stay onside. The passer can play the ball to any of the players and the players can choose to shoot off of one touch or pass across the box. The second player in each line will be a passive defender and used to help the players pay attention to off-sides. When Feeder #2 is playing the ball, Players 1, 2, and 4 will be activated.
ABC React Goalkeeper Drill
Set Up:
This goalkeeper drill works on the reaction and quick decision making of the goalie. Place a Feeder on each side of the net with plenty of soccer balls. Three lines are placed just outside the 18 yard box as shown in the diagram. The Feeders can choose to pass to Player 1, 2, or 3 and they can play it to the feet or head of the player. The shooters must hit first time shots.
3v3 Transition Game
Set Up:
Two teams play 3v3 in the penalty area. The Coach starts play by passing a 50-50 ball into the box for the teams to compete for. When a team wins the 50-50 ball, they must pass the ball out to the Coach at least once before shooting. Whenever the defenders win the ball, they must get a return pass from the Coach before shooting as well. When a ball is kicked out of the penalty area, the Coach re-starts play with a 50-50 ball. The Coach determines whether or not to use the offsides rule during the game.
