Drills For Clearing

[louis 0]

I coach a U10 boys team and on defense we are having a hard time clearing. Couple of the boys will dribble to the outside and when trapped by a player and the sideline try to make a move back towards the middle. This results in them losing the ball or playing it back to the offensive team. We have discussed many times that kicking it out in that situtation is the best play but in the heat of the action they play it in to the middle.

Does anybody have any drills we can run so we can get them to think "out is good, middle is bad "?

Thanks

Louis

[Bobbo0212 0]

Have you ever set up target in which the defensive team must hit. Maybe to get points or maybe to move on. What you should do is to have a clearing game with teams of three, your center, and two outside backs. Have two ten by ten grids set up on both sides by midfield or where ever you would like them to clear it and count them as points, everytime they don't make it in the grid count them at negative points, the object is to get the most amount of points to win the game. As a result of them getting better, maybe start to throw in some offensive pressure. You can progress from one attacker, two attackers, three attackers, to 11 in you want, the idea is to pressure the center so they have to put it to the outside.

[g_rixxx03 0]

You could do the three man drill as stated before, or for the younger team who may need the extra focus on their touch just send one player at a time, have balls sent into him/her from all angles (easily done by sending the rest of the team around the feild on the touch lines) and one by one have them knock balls into the boy or girl whos doing the drill. Dont have the whole team knock in the same kind of ball, maybe have one roll a ball in on the ground, have the next hit a bouncing ball, the next hit a chest high ball. Have two "goals"(two cones about 5 yards apart) set up with one cone on either touch line, so this forces the child to hit the ball to the wings. Have the Child start on at the penalty spot of his/her own goal, to show them the proper feild position when a clearance ball is appropriate. Reward well cleared balls (how ever you want, make it a compitition, or give them points, or offer less running or something) and put an emphasis on one touch clearances. You may as they progress toward the end of the year throw in a passive (just there to pretty much distract the defender, not to tackle the clearance) forward. Good Luck.