Throw, Trap, Throw
A full game played with the hands — throw to a teammate, trap the ball to the ground, pick it up, throw again — and a clean trap can turn straight into a shot.
Throwing takes the serve out of the equation, so every rep is the receiving touch — controlling a ball out of the air and deciding where to direct it.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Two teams of 6, plus a keeper in each goal
- Ages 9+
- Two teams of 6, plus a keeper in each goal
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, pinnies, balls, 2 goals
Grab Cones, pinnies for one team, balls, and two goals.
Build Build a grid about 40 by 60 yards with a goal on each end.
Place Six per team spread out in the grid, a keeper in each goal. One team starts with the ball in their hands.
- 1
Organize the players
Split into 6v6 with one team in pinnies, put a keeper in each goal, and hand one team the ball.
“Six on six, keepers in. Your team starts — ball in your hands.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the order — throw to a teammate; that teammate controls the ball to the ground; they pick their trapped ball up and throw it on. Nobody runs while holding the ball. The other team intercepts by winning the ball out of the air or pouncing on a poorly trapped one.
“Throw it, trap it down, pick it up, throw again. No steps with it in your hands. Defenders — a bad trap is your ball.”
- 3
Play
Let it run — and remind them a goal can come at any point, from anywhere in the grid, as long as the shot is taken immediately after controlling the ball to the ground.
“Trapped it clean? Shoot — right now, from anywhere!”
Look for Supporting players moving off the ball to create space — options ready before the throw goes up, not after.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Run the variation — throw, trap it down, then pass it to a teammate, and that teammate picks it up and throws to the next.
“New rule — after your trap, it's a pass! Then they pick it up and throw.”
If every trap gets swarmed before it hits the ground, stretch the grid a few steps wider while they play — more room to throw into — then bring it back in.
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Why it works
Playing with the hands makes every serve friendly, so the hard part — controlling a ball out of the air and choosing where to direct the touch — happens over and over inside a real game, where a lazy trap gets picked up by the other team and a clean one can turn straight into a goal.
What they learn
Controlling balls out of the air — how and where to trap — plus moving off the ball to create space and avoid pressure.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.