5 Fun Soccer Drills to Stop Bunching Up (The “Beehive” Cure)

Nothing is more frustrating than watching your team chase the ball like a swarm of bees. You scream “Spread Out!” until you lose your voice, but they just keep swarming. If you are looking for drills to stop bunching up, the secret isn’t yelling—it is using “Constraint-Based Games.” By marking specific channels or zones on the field, we force players to find space naturally. Here are 5 fun drills to cure “Beehive Soccer” forever.

💡 Key Takeaways

• Visuals Work Best: Kids don’t understand abstract words like “Width.” They understand lines and zones.
• The “Magnet” Effect: Young players feel safer near the ball. Drills must reward them for leaving that safety zone.
• No Freezing: Don’t stop the game every 10 seconds. Let the rules of the drill do the teaching.

1. The “Wide Channel” Game

The Concept: The most common reason for bunching is that players don’t realize the sideline exists. This scrimmage forces the ball wide before a goal can be scored.

Setup:

• Mark out a normal scrimmage pitch.
• Add two “Wide Channels” (5 yards wide) along both sidelines using cones.

The Rules:

1. Play a normal 5v5 or 7v7 game.
2. The Constraint: A goal only counts if the ball has touched both wide channels in the build-up.
3. Bonus: If a player receives the ball in the wide channel and creates a goal, it counts double (2 points).

Why it works: The players in the middle start screaming at their teammates to “Get in the channel!” because they want the double points. It gamifies width.

2. The “Switch” Game (4-Goal Soccer)

The Concept: Bunching happens because everyone is focused on one target. By adding more targets, you force the “swarm” to split up.

Setup:

• Place two goals on each end line (one in each corner), for a total of 4 goals.
• The goals should be 20 meters apart.

The Rules:

1. Teams can score in either of the opponent’s two goals.
2. If the defense bunches up to block the Left Goal, the attack must quickly “Switch” the ball to the Right Goal.

Coaching Point:

• “Scan the Space”: Ask players, “Where is the empty goal?” If 5 defenders are guarding one goal, the other one is wide open.

3. The “Freeze” Game (Visual Learning)

The Concept: Sometimes, players don’t realize how close they are to each other until you show them.

The Rules:

1. Let them play a normal scrimmage.
2. When you see the “Beehive” form (3+ players around the ball), blow your whistle loudly and yell “FREEZE!”
3. Players must stop exactly where they are (like statues).
4. The Question: Ask the player with the ball: “Can you pass to anyone?”
5. Ask the players bunching up: “If the other team kicks the ball away now, who is going to stop them?”
6. The Fix: Give them 5 seconds to run to “space” before you restart.

4. “Gates” Passing (No Goals)

The Concept: Removing the goals removes the obsession with “going forward” immediately. This drill focuses purely on finding space.

Setup:

• Set up 5-6 pairs of cones (Gates) randomly scattered around the pitch.
• Two teams (e.g., 5v5).

The Rules:

1. Teams score a point by passing the ball through a gate to a teammate running through the other side.
2. You cannot score in the same gate twice in a row.
3. First team to 10 points wins.

Why it works: Since the gates are everywhere, players naturally spread out to find an “open gate” rather than bunching in the middle.

5. The “Glue” Player (Joker)

The Concept: Using a designated player who is “stuck” to the sideline to show the value of staying wide.

Setup:

• Play 4v4 in the middle.
• Add 2 “Neutral” players (Jokers) who play for whichever team has the ball.
• The Constraint: The Jokers have “Glue” on their boots. They are stuck to the sideline and cannot enter the pitch.

The Rules:

1. Teams in the middle can pass to the Joker at any time to escape pressure.
2. The Joker has 3 touches to cross the ball or pass it back.
3. This teaches the central players that “The sideline is my friend.”

I suggest you also take a look at this video for some new ideas:

Step-by-Step: How to Teach Youth Players to Spread Out

Common Questions: Solving “Beehive Soccer

Also Read: 7 Fun Indoor Soccer Drills for Kids (No Equipment Needed!)