Drills to Improve Soccer Attacking Skills

In order for a team to play up to its full potential, any good coach must teach how to attack and show what a team can do to maximize its chances of scoring. Everyone loves to score goals. But your team won’t score too many goals if the soccer attacking tactics aren’t refined.

The main objective of an attacking strategy is to produce space and time in which to create scoring opportunities by using individual ability, quick, confident combination play and a constant movement of players. Hence coaches should attempt to create training conditions that induce players to develop their individual soccer skill while manipulating time and space.

The U6-U17 & adult attacking soccer (football) drills within this section are targeted to help you coach your players to make the most of the scoring opportunities and provide examples of the type of practice necessary to teach players the attacking principles (penetration, depth, mobility, width and improvisation). A lot more drills will be added to this segment so check back often.

Key Coaching Points for Attacking:

We’ve polled coaches and here are the key coaching points they recommend when it comes to attacking:

  • players spread out as a team quickly and look to counter-attack when possession is achieved
  • player on the ball plays wide early when possession is achieved
    maintain composure to keep possession and wait for opportunities to go forward
  • create space – team in possession must spread out and create space in all directions to make the field bigger (and weaken) opponents’ defense
  • player on the ball should attempt to attack the space behind the defender by shooting, passing or dribbling past a defender and if he can’t score he should look to pass to someone in a better position to score
  • penetrate as deeply as possible with forward passes and control the ball forward wherever possible while keeping possession
    if you can penetrate forward, look to pass or dribble the ball
  • sideways or backwards to maintain possession
  • create space and take a supporting position giving the passer a good angle and clear path to pass the ball (good timing, angle and distance of support)
  • good communication between the attackers (verbally & nonverbally)
    adjust supporting position to player on the ball (constant movement off the ball – constructive movement after each pass)
  • include goalkeeper as supporting player to maintain possession and start the attack if necessary
  • supporting players should attack the space behind the defense and look to unbalance
  • finish attacks with shots at goal

Drills By Age: U6-U8,  U9-U12,  U13-U16,  U17-Adult

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