Football drills
Free · No sign-up · With diagrams
The drills from the blog’s training sessions, with diagrams, on one page: filter by age group, objective, the number of players you have and the space, and open each one in the tactics board to adapt it to your session. Every three days, a new drill from the Coaching Notebooks books is added.
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1v1 to goal with finishing
4–7 players · 20×25 m · 16 min · high intensity
An attacker receives from the coach and attacks a goal with a goalkeeper while a chasing defender can counter into two mini-goals.
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Finishing after a combination
10–14 players · Quarter pitch · 12 min · medium intensity
Two groups combine with a striker at the edge of the final third: pass in, lay-off, through ball and a first-time or one-touch finish.
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The station circuit
20–30 players · groups of 6 · Half pitch · 32 min · medium intensity
Groups of six rotate through four stations on half a pitch: 3v3 to mini-goals, 1v1 channels, dribble and shoot with the coach, passing gates.
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Dribble and shoot
4–6 players · Indoor or small area · 7 min · medium intensity
Coach station: players start 20 m out, dribble past a cone with a feint and shoot before a line 10 m from goal.
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Game with wide free zones
16 players · 40×50 m · 15 min · high intensity
5v5 plus goalkeepers on a 50×40 m pitch with protected 6 m wide channels where wide players cross for runners.
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1v1 breakaways
4–10 players · Indoor or small area · 10 min · high intensity
Attackers dribble in from 22 m with six seconds to score while the goalkeeper advances and sets before the shot.
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4v4 with goalkeepers
10–20 players · 20×30 m · 20 min · high intensity
Short, intense 4v4 bouts with goalkeepers and portable goals, while waiting teams feed balls from the sides to keep play continuous.
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3v2 transition waves
7–20 players · Half pitch · 14 min · high intensity
Three attackers face two defenders on half a pitch; the defenders then counter against a new single defender towards a mini-goal at halfway.
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2v2 finishing between two goals
6–16 players · 20×25 m · 18 min · high intensity
Pairs play 2v2 for up to 45 seconds between two goals with goalkeepers in 25×20 m, then the next pairs come on.
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Receive, turn and shoot
4–10 players · Quarter pitch · medium intensity
A striker checks towards one of two servers 25 m out, turns with the first touch and shoots with the second against a goalkeeper.
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Hold-up and lay-off
6–10 players · 20×20 m · 10 min · medium intensity
A striker with a defender behind holds up a pass from a server and lays it off for arriving midfielders to shoot in a 20×20 m area.
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2v1 finishing waves
6–18 players · Quarter pitch · 12 min · medium intensity
Two attackers from 30 m take on a defender and a goalkeeper, with 8 seconds to finish before the next wave starts from the other side.
How to use the library
Pick the age group and the objective of the session and enter how many players you have: the list only shows the drills that fit, including those run in parallel groups. Each card shows the space, duration and intensity, and opens the full drill sheet.
From diagram to session
"Open in the tactics board" opens the diagram with the same players, cones, mini goals and zones, named after the drill. Change what you need and send the link to your coaches on WhatsApp, no account needed.
Frequently asked questions
Are the drills free?
Yes. The library, the tactics board and the blog sessions are free and need no sign-up.
Where do the drills come from?
From the training sessions on the DorsalCUP blog. Each drill sheet links to the section of the article where the drill is explained, with the context of the session.
Can I share a search or my favourites?
Yes. The filters are kept in the page address and favourites are shared with a link: whoever opens it sees the same drills, no account needed.