Before we get into the best soccer possession drills for your team, I think we both agree that it is important for a team to have an idea of how they want to play before getting on the pitch.
When you hear about soccer possession, soccer teams like Barcelona, Manchester City, and the like readily come to mind. For managers, Pep Guardiola stands tall among his peers and many managers have tried to play that style.
It is one thing to teach your players; it is a different case entirely for them to execute the ideas of the coach on the pitch.
However, in the following sections, you will be learning about ten of the best and most popular soccer possession drills to get you familiar with soccer!
10 Best Soccer Possession Drills
Here are the top ten soccer possession drills.
Hexagonal Rondo
These possession drills are a great way to help your team maneuver around opponents and keep the ball under pressure. Before execution on the pitch, the art must have been learned on the training pitch.
“Rondo” is loosely defined as a keep-away style drill where more players try to keep possession against a smaller number of defenders who are trying to take the ball away. In this case, though, you need a marked playing area – hexagonal.
Six players per team—12 players in total. Six players (three from each team) will stay outside on the six edges of the playing area, while the remaining six will remain inside the playing area.
The main idea of this drill is to see pass combinations between the teams in possession without them losing possession.
4-Goal Game
A 4-goal game drill is quite tasking as it requires attacking instincts and the defensive awareness of your players. This particular drill helps the players to combine quickly and focus on scoring.
You will need four goalposts, and the playing area should be a square. You can then go ahead to split the group into two or three of 4-5 players each.
The teams can score in any of the four goal-posts, and when a team does not have possession, they may defend the goals with the closest player to the goal able to use their hands.
Meanwhile, as soon as a goal is scored or a ball goes out, you as the coach can then send a new ball in. By the way, if there is a third team resting then they will come in and play the winners.
Because of the frequency of goals, you can time the set or play first to score 3-5 goals.
In terms of difficulty, fewer players per team and/or more than one ball in play at once will make the session easy, but you can make it difficult by introducing more players.
3v1 Transition Rondo
The set-up for this type of rondo is quite simple. You will need cones and a marked playing area to execute it.
Create two adjacent 7×7 yard grids, ultimately creating a 7×14 yard grid split in the middle. For the players, divide players into groups of 5.
Four attacking players start outside the four sides of the grid and place a defender each inside one of the grids. The responsibility of the two outside attackers on the long side of the grid is to progress with the ball within the grid.
The importance of the 3v1 Transition Rondo drill is to aid quick combination passing to unbalance the defender and shift the point of attack to an adjacent grid.
For the defenders, the drill is to enhance their ability to react under pressure in such situations during matches.
4v4 Scrimmage to Mini-Goals
To perform this drill, you need to mark the playing area which can be 30×20 yards, depending on the age and skill level of the players you are coaching. Use cones to define the boundaries and bibs for the identification of the team.
Then, the mini-goals will be placed on each end line of the field. Divide the team based on the number of players that you have, but a team should not exceed 4 members. This drill emphasizes the importance of teamwork.
In addition, the 4v4 scrimmage to mini-goals is to improve quick decision-making, passing combinations, positioning, and finishing accuracy in a small-sided game, with emphasis on both attack and defense. I can say it is a complete package for soccer possession drills.
2v2 + 1 to Two Goals
This 2v2 + 1 attacking soccer possession drill is played with two goals. This drill’s focus is to ensure the ball gets to your target player before going to the goal. As usual, you need a marked playing area – 25 x 40 yards will do.
The team in possession must keep possession and play a ball to the target player before scoring one of the two goals.
The target players for each team should remain off the field, but they can play along the line or behind the line as long as they stay between the two goals.
Play can always restart with you (the coach) when a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play.
4v4, Thirds of the Field, Shape and Positioning
The 4v4 drill is superb for improving your team’s shape in the defending or attacking phase. You will need four players, each of whom will be responsible for what they do during this particular drill.
The attacker must play close to the goal their team is attacking, the wingers are to stretch the width of the field and the defensive player gives support to wingers and target players while being the last man.
This particular drill will help to build communication between teammates, defend in numbers, and break on swift play to outfox the opposing team when they are out of shape.
2v2 with Target Players to Small Goals
To execute this drill, you will create a 25×40-yard grid. Split six players into two groups of 3 and then place a target for each team on the end line of the goal they are attacking. The remaining players will remain in the playing area 2v2.
The idea is to have the teams play into their target player and receive the ball from the target player to score.
This 2v2 drill focuses on line-breaking passes to a target player during matches to stretch the field and finish on goal.
4v1 Rondo
This particular variation of the rondo is specifically for players you are just introducing to the rondo training.
Taking that into account, we can call this an introduction to rondo for them. It is to lay a foundation which other lessons can be built upon.
You will need a playing grid (10 x 10 yards), and five players (four offensive players and one defending player).
All play must be within the marked grid. It is important to limit touches to one or two (maximum) and rotate defenders if the touch limit is exceeded.
Rondo Soccer Drill
“Everything that goes on in a match, except shooting, you can do in a rondo.” — Johan Cruyff – a man well-known for his possession-based philosophy. His quote is spot on, as you will be learning everything in a Rondo soccer drill.
This particular soccer possession drill is quite common, and every soccer-loving person, including you, should know this. It is a common warm-up drill before training sessions and matches.
During a typical rondo, one team will have to maintain possession of the ball while completing a series of passes based on the training focus, whilst the opposition team or a smaller group of players attempt to win the ball back.
The number of players with the ball is usually higher than the ones tasked with winning the ball.
Well, rondo soccer drills are both enjoyable and strategically important. They help to boost technical skills, decision-making, and teamwork.
Regardless of the level of soccer players, it is suitable to enhance their game and add a bit of enjoyment to training.
Circle Rondo Soccer Drill
It is one of the common types of rondo soccer drills. I am sure you have seen clips online or seen this being carried out at a soccer match.
Just like the one mentioned above, the circle rondo soccer drill is a great warm-up drill before a game or a drill for your training session.
Two defenders will be placed in the middle of the circle, while other players are positioned around them. It is best to limit touches to enhance your player’s decision-making, movement, and positioning.
Final Thoughts
From what you have gathered from these soccer possession drills, they cannot be carried out by an individual as it is a team activity.
You can imagine the number of hours of work in the training sessions the likes of Barcelona, Manchester City, Brighton, Arsenal, and other soccer teams who are famous for their possession-based styles, did to reach that stage. It takes a lot of dedication, but it is not impossible to achieve.
And there you have it – the ten best soccer possession drills that you can teach your team!
