27 Soccer Passing Drills Every Coach Needs in Their Toolkit

9. Guard the Castle

How the Drill Works:

Three players pass the soccer ball around the outside of the designated area, attempting to beat the defender and knock the “castle” (soccer ball set on top of a disc cone) over!

Purpose:

Fun activity to develop players’ ability to pass the ball amongst their teammates and move to create proper passing angels. Creates a situation where the defense is outnumbered and players must find the best way around the defender.

Diagram:

Setup:

• Set up a 10×10- yard field for every four players.
• In the center of each field, place a soccer ball on top of a disc cone. This is called the “castle.”
• Divide the team into groups of four players.
• One ball per group of four.
• Three players start on offense with the ball while one player starts as the defender.
• Complete five, two-minute rounds. Add more rounds and time as needed. Switch defenders every round.

Instructions:

1. The three attackers attempt to pass and dribble inside the field, attempting to move the defender and find an opening to knock the castle down.
2. The defender is free to move inside the square and protect the castle. Defenders can tackle and knock the ball out-of-bounds.
3. If the castle gets knocked down, the attackers get one point and the defender resets the soccer ball to continue playing.
4. If the defender wins the ball, or the ball is deflected out-of-bounds, then the ball is given back to the attackers and play continues.
5. See which attacking team can score the most points!
6. At the end of each round, a new defender is selected from the three attackers.
7. Play five, two-minute rounds. Add more rounds as needed.

Variations:

Build a Moat – Set up a small, 2×2-yard square around the castle where the defenders are not allowed to step into. This will prevent the defenders from standing next to the castle and force them to move around.

Number of passes – Attackers must complete a certain number of passes before attempting to score!

1. on-1 – To focus on dribbling, attacker players 1v1 against a defender, attempting to knock the castle down.

Add more defenders – If 3v1 is too easy, add another defender and go 3v2. Try different combinations to see what works best (for example, 4v2, 5v2, or 5v3).

Coaching Points:

• • Encourage the players to constantly keep moving for each other. Better movement between players will create easier chances to knock over the castle.
  • Players should constantly look up to see where the defender is at to build good game habits and score when the chance is on.
  • Emphasize that players should work together to knock the castle over!