Drills and Discussion

Drills and Discussion

Hey Coaches! Need some inspiration for how to teach these concepts in practice? You’ve come to the right place!

One of the simplest offside drills also requires the least equipment! You will need at least 1 soccer ball, and 3 cones (if you don’t have cones, you can substitute soccer balls or pinnys for the cones).

Have your players line up behind the first cone (or substitute cone) in sets of 2 or 3 across (having more than one player participate at the same time gets more players involved and allows more repetition for players in general). Set up the other 2 cones 15-20 yards away, and 15-20 yards apart.

Stand behind your players holding a soccer ball in your hands. Let your players start running/lightly jogging toward the 2 cones downfield, but do not let them look back toward you. They should be listening for you to “clap” on the soccer ball in your hands to mimic a kick sound on the ball.

The players should not pass the line of cones until they hear you “clap” the soccer ball. The idea here is that the cones represent the second-to-last defender, and therefore the offside line. You are the player with the ball, and they can cross that line once you “kick” (in this case, “clap”) the ball, which releases them to run behind the defense. Once they hear the “kick” on the ball, they should take off at a sprint to “beat the defenders” to the ball.

Players learn to listen for the “kick” of the ball and to wait for that to cross the offside line. This should help players avoid being caught offside, and remind them that they need to wait before taking off toward the goal, as young players who are just learning about offsides tend to do.

Additional Offside Drills:

Free kick drills: https://www.amplifiedsoccerathlete.com/coachguide/drill-to-improve-your-teams-free-kicks

Setting up a wall to defend a free kick: https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/soccer-coaching/tips-advice/soccer-coaching-tips-to-build-a-defensive-wall/

Are you an expert of the game yet? Do you think you know everything there is to know about tough soccer concepts?

Hopefully, you feel more confident in understanding how these rules apply to the game of soccer after visiting this site. However, it’s ok if you still aren’t 100% sure you have it all down. This is why referees have some of the toughest jobs in sports!

If you still have questions, or want to chat with other players or soccer lovers about these concepts or soccer in general, please feel free to post on our discussion board: