Group of 3 training is great because you can do so much! Whether the focus is on shooting form and getting high reps or doing drills with pressure. Either way, players will improve fast and it cuts the cost down for families who don’t want to spend extra on 1:1 lessons. Individual training is good, but for some players the small group setting is better.
Give and go dummy drill
This drill requires two players to constantly move, while the other player [Coach Cole in all black] is stationary.
All 3 players try to keep the ball moving with 1 touch passing.
The middle player works on doing a “dummy” which is where you let the ball go between your legs or to the side of you.
In a real game the purpose would be to fake the defender out and free up a teammate.
Group of 3 – one touch passing drill
This drill below is great because each player has a different role and for the most part the passes have to be precise.
You can see that the player shows a mix of great skill, while also showing weaknesses. For instance, some ignore their weaker feet.
What I do like is it makes the lead player [boy in black shirt, girl in grey] react to bad passes where they have to use quick reactions to keep the tempo high.
Player feedback would be to Claire in the black shirt to keep her feet moving… She’s a great player, but sometimes we all need to be reminded or corrected:)
Crossing and finishing – high rep stationary setting
When it comes to scoring goals and working on crosses, I think it’s better to keep the players stationary – when it’s a group of 3 players.
A larger number, say a group of 6+ players you can rotate them with 3-5 stations…
Rotating stations in a group of 3 can end up making the players run more than get reps… Repetition is what kids need to improve technically!
“College players training in their off-season with GFT”
Opposed training [pressure]
With a group of 3 you can do 1v1s, 2v1’s and 1v2’s… Also if the coach gets involved you can do 3v1’s and 2v2’s.
1v1 drills:
- Small grid 5×10 – just dribble past the defender and get to the other side. [Note: 5 yards wide and 10 yards long]
- 10×15 yard grid with 3 cones, each with a ball on top. Attacking player gets a point if you knock a ball off the cone by either passing your ball at it, or by dribbling up putting your foot on top of the ball your dribbling and knock a ball off the cone. You can get up to 3 points in one set. Once your ball goes out you change sides. Defender becomes the attacker and the 3rd player becomes the new defender.
- Large space 30×30 – defender kicks a long ball from the goal line out to the attacker who’s 30 yards out. Once the defender hits the long ball they sprint out to defend 1v1 to goal.
2v1 drills:
- “Wall pass” where the first attacker receives the ball from the coach or defender and then has the 2nd attacker out wide for the option of a wall pass or they can keep it and dribble past. Can be played with or without a goal. [15×20]
- Give and go drill with the 2nd attacker behind the defender. This is harder for the attacking players because it’s not like the “wall pass” where the 2nd attacker is open pretty much the whole time. [10×20]
- 2 attacking players both facing the goal or line to dribble past and defender. This is more like a situation where there are two forwards going at the last defender. The pass needs to be made just out in front in space for the 2nd attacker to run onto. [20×40]
Let’s talk dribbling
Of course with dribbling it doesn’t matter the numbers…
This is one skill where you could have 20+ players and still get everyone touching the ball.
Although, with more difficult movements/moves it does help to have correction and teaching.
Small groups and one on one’s allow for more instruction since they can see the details.
Therefore, privates or a group of 3 – 4 players should be focusing on things that you can’t do alone or in a team setting.
“It’s so important that players learn proper form before getting tons of reps.”
Side volleys
When it comes to side volleys there are many great ways to improve your passing and shooting skills.
Passing:
- Close the gate with the inside of the foot.
- Open the gate by passing with the inside of the back foot.
- Outside lace jab pass
Two players are tossing while one player is using these volley passes.
Shooting:
- When the ball is coming across the body or over the head you’ll practice hitting volleys with your laces.
- Volley on goal using your laces as the ball is coming at you about knee high.
One player is tossing, while 2 players can get reps or 1 player can shag balls which could help you get more rounds/reps.
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