Blog · 2026-10-22

8 Soccer Drills for Kids That Keep Everyone Moving

The best soccer drills for kids have three things in common: every player has a ball or is close to one, the rules fit in one sentence, and there's a little bit of game in them. Long lines and lectures are where kids tune out.

Here are eight drills we use with 8- to 10-year-olds. Each needs only balls, disc cones and maybe a goal, plus an easier and harder version. Use a size 4 ball, the usual size for 9U–10U.

1. Ball Mastery (ball control)

Setup: Every player has a ball in a grid about 20 × 20 yards.

How it works: Call a move for 30 seconds each: toe taps (sole on top of the ball), inside-inside (tap it between your feet), sole rolls and pull-backs. Then dribble freely. On the whistle, freeze with your sole on the ball.

Easier: Walking pace, one move at a time. Harder: Count touches in 30 seconds and try to beat your score.

2. Gates Dribbling (dribbling with eyes up)

Setup: Scatter 8–10 gates (two cones about two big steps apart) in a 25 × 25-yard area. One ball each.

How it works: Dribble through as many different gates as you can in 60 seconds. You can't use the same gate twice in a row. Then try to beat your score.

Easier: Bigger gates, and walk first. Harder: Weaker foot only, or outside of the foot only.

3. Sharks and Minnows (dribbling under pressure)

Setup: An area about 20 × 30 yards. Minnows with balls on one end line; one or two sharks, without balls, in the middle.

How it works: On "Go!" the minnows dribble to the far line and stop the ball on it. Sharks try to kick balls out of the area. Lost your ball? Do five toe taps outside the area, then rejoin.

Easier: Sharks walk, or make the area wider. Harder: Add sharks, or minnows use their weaker foot.

Rule: Sharks play the ball, never the legs.

4. Red Light, Green Light (dribble control)

Setup: Players on one line with a ball each. The coach faces them about 25 yards away.

How it works: Green means dribble forward. Yellow means slow, tiny touches. Red means stop the ball with your sole. "Turn!" means pull it back and dribble the other way. Anyone still moving on red takes three steps back.

Easier: Fewer calls, slower pace. Harder: Add "Switch feet!" and "Outside only!"

5. 1v1 to the End Line (beating a defender)

Setup: Lanes about 10 yards wide and 15 yards long. The defender stands on the far line with the ball.

How it works: The defender passes to the attacker, then steps in to defend. The attacker scores by dribbling over the defender's end line and stopping the ball on it. Three turns each, then switch.

Easier: The defender must walk. Harder: Narrower lane, and a 6-second time limit.

6. Partner Passing Gates (passing on the ground)

Setup: Partners 8–10 yards apart with a 2-yard cone gate halfway between them. One ball per pair.

How it works: Pass through the gate with the inside of the foot. Your partner stops it with one touch and passes back. Count passes through the gate in one minute, and switch feet every round.

Easier: Move closer and widen the gate. Harder: Two touches max, then one touch.

Cue: "Plant foot points at your partner."

7. 3v1 Keep-Away (passing and support)

Setup: A 10 × 10-yard square for each group of four: three attackers and one defender.

How it works: The three keep the ball from the defender and count passes in a row. If the defender wins it or the ball leaves the square, the player who lost it swaps in. Swap the defender at least every 60 seconds.

Easier: Bigger square, defender at half speed. Harder: Smaller square, two touches max.

8. Dribble and Shoot (shooting)

Setup: A goal with a keeper. Two short lines about 20 yards out with balls, and a cone 10 yards from goal for each line.

How it works: Dribble to your cone and shoot. Follow your shot for a rebound, fetch the ball and join the other line. Keepers rotate every four shots.

Easier: Shoot from closer with no keeper. Harder: Weaker foot only, or shoot first time off a pass from the coach.

Cue: "Laces, toe down, aim low for the corners." Nobody stands near the goal except the keeper.

How to put drills into a practice

Don't run all eight in one day. A good 60-minute practice for this age starts with small games as players arrive, uses two or three drills around one skill, and finishes with a real scrimmage. A dribbling day might be Ball Mastery, Gates Dribbling, water, Sharks and Minnows, then 4v4 games.

A few things that help any drill:

• Demonstrate once, then play. Coach while they move.
• Stop while it's still fun. Ending a drill a minute early keeps energy up.

You'll notice there's no heading here. U.S. Soccer guidance is that players 10 and under shouldn't head the ball.

Get these as printable drill cards

All eight drills, plus twelve more, are in the First Season Soccer Kit as printable cards, four per page, with setup, coaching points and easier and harder versions. The kit also has 10 practices that tell you which drills to run each week, 7v7 keeper rotation sheets and parent messages, for $14.

Not ready to buy? Grab the free soccer sample with four drill cards and a complete first practice.

Supervise all drills, pair players of similar size for 1v1s, no slide tackles, and follow your league's rules. See our safety notes.