Power and Finesse with a Twist
Each shooter strikes a long shot from 25 yards, then finishes your toss with a volley or header — make both, and you put a teammate on the spot.
Finishing means being comfortable at every range — long strikes from distance and close-range volleys and headers — and this game asks for both in a single turn.
The weekly budget is the part coaches miss. A coach who runs heading twice in a week is not being reckless, they are unaware there is a cumulative cap at all — say the cap, then trust the trained adult: about 30 minutes and 15-20 headers per player per week, everything counted, including games.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · One line, plus a goalkeeper
- Ages 9+
- One line, plus a goalkeeper
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, plenty of balls, full-size goal
Grab A cone, a large supply of balls, and your full-size goal.
Build Set the cone 25 yards from the goal.
Place Players line up behind the cone, the goalkeeper takes the goal, and you stand near the goal with the balls.
- 1
Organize the players
Line the team up behind the cone, 25 yards from goal. Put the goalkeeper in the goal and take your spot near it with the ball supply.
“One line behind the cone. First shooter up — two shots coming your way.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk one turn — you play a ground ball to the first player so the shot happens around the edge of the penalty area; right after the shot, you toss a ball to the same shooter, who must volley or head it in. Make both, and they choose a teammate to challenge — the challenged player must make both or they're out, and if the challenged player makes both, the original shooter is out instead.
“Long shot first, then finish my toss out of the air. Make both, and you pick who's on the spot next.”
- 3
Play
Run the turns and the challenges. Hold the quality — good striking body posture on the long shot, control on the flighted ball, and landing on the kicking foot through the strike.
“Strike it clean — and stay calm when the toss comes down!”
Look for Composure on the flighted ball — a shooter staying under control as the toss comes down.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Keep the line moving through turns and challenges. With younger players, skip the choosing — each shooter challenges the next player in line instead.
“This round, no picking — you challenge whoever's next in line.”
If the long shot never scores, walk the cone in a few yards while they shoot — real chances from closer range — then walk it back out.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
One turn holds both halves of finishing — a long drive struck off the ground and a flighted ball finished with a volley or header — so comfort gets built at every range, and making both is what earns the right to put a teammate on the spot.
What they learn
Striking long shots and close-range finishes — volleys and headers — with good striking posture, composure on flighted balls, and landing on the kicking foot.
What's next
Flighted Balls in the 18 — the toss becomes a teammate's serve, with a control touch in between.
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.