Ever wonder how top level players became SO good? Check this Skill Station out with pro players Bev Yanez, current NWSL Defender of the Year Lauren Barnes and BMS Seattle trainer Othaniel Yanez.
Watch the video above, and below I break each drill down for you!
Auditory Awareness
You’ll need a partner. Lay out your cones similarly to in the photo below; you’ll need your line of cones as well as four others (circled below). The four must be different colors, because your partner will be calling out colors at random. You’ll have to quickly leave your line of cones in the center, stay low, and dribble to the cone corresponding to the color called. Get out to the cone and back to the center as quickly as possible, keeping the ball close and under control.
Dribble S.A.Q. Pass
You’ll need a partner and two lines of eight cones each. One person dribbles through the cones with the ball, practicing whichever footwork he or she needs to. The other player travels in the opposite direction, practicing ladder footwork, sans ball. Once both players reach the ends of their respective lines, the ball is passed and the dribbling resumes on the opposite side. Fast footwork and close control are the keys to this skills station.
Y Drill 2
This one is a little easier to watch than to describe, but you’ll see the cone set up below, and you can watch the example in the video above. The name Y Drill comes from the Y formation of the cones, as shown. Each branch of the Y is a different station. You’ll need a partner to play balls to you at each of the stations (while the partner is not taking such an active role in this one, pass accuracy is key to ensure the drill runs smoothly!) Once Player 1 runs through the Y once, he or she will switch with Player 2.
First Touch Boxes
This drill is “all about receiving on the turn,” explains Copeland-Smith. All you need is a simple cone set up, as shown below, and a partner. The partner outside the box plays a ball in fast (the faster it is, of course, the tougher to keep it under control with a perfect first touch). The receiving player must control the ball on the first touch, turn, and play the ball back out.
All of these drills will help with your ball control, first touch and to strengthen your weak foot, as well as other things!