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There are some free soccer training drills using which you can master the art of passing and shooting as well as controlling the ball. In this article, you will know about 2 of the well-known soccer drills, Shoulder To Shoulder and Shark in the Middle.

Shoulder To Shoulder drill is meant for offensive and defensive players. The main purpose of this exercise is to teach offensive player to practice fast shooting under pressure and let the defensive players practice clearing the ball.

This drill uses three players per drill group. The distance that lies between A and B is 10-15 yards apart.

B and the defensive player line up joining shoulder to shoulder. B and the defensive player, standing next to each other, face away from the goal on the left side of the field. At the whistle of the coach, A throws the ball behind the other 2 players. B and the defensive player begin to make efforts to take control of the ball. B’s goal is to take shot on the goal while the defensive player’s objective is to turn with the ball and dribble it above the center line.

Soccer Drills

By practicing coaching drills like Shoulder to Shoulder, players learn to win the ball despite being under immense pressure from an opposing player.

Shark in the Middle is a funny game that the team can play anytime during the practice and its duration can be shortened or increased as per the requirements. This is one of those free soccer training drills that is aimed at developing attentiveness and self-control in players under high pressure situations.

Players assemble themselves in a large circle in the field. A player is chosen to be the Shark and stands in the center of the circle. There is only a single ball and it is given to the person who stands inside the circle.

When you blow the whistle, the player with the ball passes it to the other player along the circle. Then, the second player passes the ball to a third player of his choice and so on.

Then you blow the whistle again and it means that the game should start. The aim of the game is that the shark should not be allowed to touch the ball. The player may choose to pass the ball to anyone he wishes to, be it a teammate right next to him or a teammate far away. The players make an effort to make as many passes as possible.

This goes on till the time the shark gets the ball.

When the ball is possessed, the player that caused the ball to be intercepted goes on to become the new shark and the first shark goes along the circle.

Shark in the Middle is one of those football drills that demands a great deal of thinking and the ability to act like a shark.

To conclude, these free soccer training drills help players to build self-confidence to handle the ball while under pressure from an imminent attack. Subscribe to our youth soccer coaching community to for more such youth coaching tips and tactics.

Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Free soccer training drills.