Guard the Castle
GUARD THE CASTLE SOCCER PASSING GAMES
Drill Equipment
9" Tall Soccer Cones, Scrimmage Vests, Soccer Balls
Drill Quick Glance
The Guard the Castle drill is a great small-sided game that focuses on passing in numbers up situations. This soccer passing game is a fun drill the kids will love it!
Drill setup
- Set up a grid that is 12 X 12 yards.
- Organize the team into groups of four.
- One of the four players should wear an alternate jersey and be the designated defender (guarder of the castle).
- Place a 9" tall cone or a disc cone with the ball on top of it in the middle of the grid; this will become the “castle”.
- The attacking players begin with one soccer ball.
Drill Coaching Points
- Instruct players to get their heads up to find the pass.
- Make sure the players are passing the ball with proper weight on the ball.
- Make sure players are moving about the grid in order to find open space.
- Make sure players know it is ok to dribble the ball to space or beat the defender before making the pass.
- Make sure players are making the easiest decisions when passing.
Drill Instructions
- The three attackers should pass the ball around the defender in the grid in attempt to knock down the castle with a pass.
- A point is awarded when the castle is knocked down.
- The castle is considered knocked down when the ball is knocked off the cone or the tall cone is knocked down with a pass.
- If the castle is knocked down with a foot, reset the castle and continue play. No point is awarded.
- Once the attackers score 3 points, switch the defender.
Drill Variations
- Depending on the age level and skill of the players, you can remove the 12 x 12 grid limitations, or make the grid smaller for very skilled players.
- If players are standing next to the cone, you can build a 3x3 grid and not allow players to step into that small grid.
- Require players to complete a certain number of passes before they are allowed to knock down the castle.
- Play 1v1 and focus on dribbling skills.
Drill Focus
Dribbling, Passing, Receiving, Possession, Defending, Attacking, Warm-up, FUN