Bumper Balls:
Though there are many fun soccer drills to choose from, Bumper Balls lets athletes run around, have fun, and learn more than others. Athletes start in a small part of the field, several feet apart but not touching each other. The coach tosses in one ball. The team must keep the ball in the air without using their feet.
Other fun soccer drills work on footwork and distance, but Bumper Balls works on using other parts of the body to control the ball. Athletes are required to call out got it! so that they do not injure themselves or others, but they are forbidden from touching the ball with their arms, hands, or feet. Permissible passes include those with the knee, stomach, chest, or head. Athletes must bounce the ball to a teammate, and everyone must take part to ensure the ball is not dropped. To make this drill more difficult, coaches can toss in another ball, increasing the number of balls until the team cannot control them all. Coaches can put on music with this drill, but athletes will have a great time no matter what!
Hacky Sack Soccer:
In this soccer drill, players stand in a small circle with no more than four players per circle. One team member tosses a soccer ball into the circle and the others have to pass it from one to another, using nothing but their feet. Athletes cannot keep the ball for longer than three seconds or they receive one point. If an athlete passes poorly, resulting in the ball dropping, that athlete receives one point. If an athlete misses a well-passed ball, they also receive one point. When an athlete receives five points, he or she is out of the drill and the circle combines with another circle. The purpose of this drill is to teach athletes how to receive the ball, maintain balance, and pass appropriately to a teammate from a short distance. Athletes are not allowed to leave the circle to keep the ball from hitting the ground.
Popcorn Soccer:
In Popcorn Soccer, athletes line up horizontally on the soccer field. Multiple coaches or volunteers have soccer balls and stand in front of them, tossing them to the players. The player to whom the ball comes must make the ball “pop” like popcorn by bouncing it with their head. Athletes are not allowed to run to get the ball but they can jump. Whoever bounces their ball the furthest wins the drill.
Coaches can do this one at a time also by having players line up vertically and running to the end of the line after bumping the ball. This drill can also be turned into a two-team relay with two vertical lines competing to bump the ball fastest.
