Indoor Soccer Drills

The best football players in the world are the ones who possess the best control of the ball at their feet. It is easy to just smack the ball around and run behind it and push your opponents away, but the truly gifted and technical players do not need such qualities all the time. They can twist and turn in one standing position and dummy their opponents, and their first touch is so marvelous that it is almost impossible to predict what they're going to do next. Indoor soccer drills focus on and build these very skills.

Look at the most skillful players in the world today. From the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, right to the dribbling masters of years gone by like Diego Maradona and Michel Platini; all these players have consistently and regularly performed indoor soccer drills in order to enhance their dribbling skills and their control of the football, and they have been recognized as true masters of the game as a result of this.

The Art of Futsal

Playing soccer indoors is commonly known as futsal, and this is a full-fledged sport by itself. Since a young age professional footballers are trained in the art of futsal in order to improve their control of the ball, and their ability to pass the ball in lesser spaces. Practicing a variety of drills for indoor soccer helps them in this regard, and enables them to develop great technical ability. Playing futsal on a smaller surface area, and with fewer players is a great boost for players to develop a better understanding of each others movements and also learn how to pick out great passes and through balls in extremely tight areas.

Indoor Soccer Drills

Carrying out these drills on a day-to-day basis only makes a good player great, and the best players in the world know the importance of each and every single drill. Every little trick that is learned ultimately comes in handy somewhere, and this drives on these players to constantly carry out these indoor soccer drills. Many players who live in extremely cold regions also choose to carry out these indoor soccer drills, as the weather conditions make it difficult to train outside.

Read the following articles on soccer drills.

• Soccer Drills for 5 Year Olds
• Soccer Drills for U8

Two Line Passing Drill
This is a drill that focuses on improving the first time passing abilities of players, as well as improving the mobility of the players. Two cones need to be placed about 10 yards away from each other. Half the players stand behind one cone and the other half stand behind the second cone. Now players from one half must pass the ball to players from the other half, one after the other, in a chronological sequence. No player is allowed to touch the ball more than once, and after they have touched the ball, they must run towards a designated point and join the end of the line behind the second cone.

Beehive dribbling
This drill focuses on building the dribbling abilities and close control of the players. If there are 10 players who are training, then a square that is 100 square yards in area must be made (10 yards wide and 10 yards broad). Each player is given a ball and once the whistle is blown, they must move around the square whilst simultaneously dribbling the ball. Due care must be taken so as not go outside the square, and also to avoid bumping into other players. With a few attempts this drill will become easier and more efficient, and as a result of this, the close control and dribbling of the players will greatly improve.

Circle Passing
This is a great indoor soccer drill to improve communication and teamwork between the players. Make a circle with about 5 people standing at equal distances from each other. There should be 2-3 players standing behind each of these 5 players at all of those 5 spots. The player who passes the ball to the next player must run outside the circle and stand behind the line at the spot that he has passed to. This pattern has to be followed by everyone. Thus, everyone is following the passes that they make. There are many variations to this game as more footballs can be introduced, or some defenders can be placed within the circle in order to block the pass. Learn more on the various soccer positions.

Give and Go
This drill is also known as one touch passing. Or a 'one-two'. This is a great exercise for indoor soccer as it helps improve the shooting ability of a player without having much time to control the ball. It builds instincts and basic technique. There are two players involved in this drill. The first one passes the ball to the second player and immediately runs forward. The second player takes only a single touch and lays the ball in the path of the first player. The first player must then shoot for goal without breaking his stride. This is a move that you will commonly see in many football matches. Read more on soccer strategies and tactics.

Read about the following soccer drills and workouts.

• Soccer Training: Plyometric Drills and Exercises
• Soccer Conditioning Drills and Workout

At the end of the day, there are hundreds of variations that you can devise yourself, in order to come up with great indoor soccer drills for kids. But no matter what the age of the players may be, these exercises and drills will always help in the building up of stamina, agility, communication, technique and teamwork. Remind yourself that the most skillful flair players practice these drills for hours at a stretch in order to hone their skills. But also remember to have fun along the way. Joga Bonito!