Flighted Balls in the 18
One line serves a flighted ball across the face of the goal, the next brings it down with one good touch and lays it off, and the third buries the shot.
Comfort in the penalty box only comes from practicing there — and this puts chipping, trapping, and shooting all inside the 18.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Three equal lines, plus a goalkeeper
- Ages 9+
- Three equal lines, plus a goalkeeper
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, pinnies, balls, full-size goal
Grab Cones, an ample supply of balls, and your full-size goal.
Build Nothing to build — the penalty box is your grid. The stations are its two corners near the end line and the top of the box near the semi-circle.
Place Group A at one corner with the ball supply, Group B at the other corner, Group C at the top of the box, and the goalkeeper in the goal.
- 1
Organize the players
Split the team into three equal lines — Group A at one corner of the box with the balls, Group B at the opposite corner, Group C at the top near the semi-circle. Keeper in the goal.
“Three lines — A with the balls, B across from them, C at the top. Keeper, you're in.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk one sequence — the first player in A serves a flighted ball across the face of the goal to B; the first in B takes it out of the air with a good control touch and passes to C; the first in C takes a shot on goal.
“A — flight it across the goal. B — bring it down with one good touch, then feed C. C — finish it.”
- 3
Play
Keep the sequence rolling and hold the quality bar on all three jobs — the flighted serve, the control touch, and the shot. This is where the box stops feeling scary, so keep the focus on finishing the ball.
“Quality serve, quality touch, quality shot — finish it strong!”
Look for The control touch — the ball taken out of the air and put down where the next pass is easy.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Rotate players A to B, B to C, C to A, so everyone serves, controls, and shoots. When the sequence is clean, restrict the touches — one-touch.
“Rotate — serve, control, shoot, you'll do all three. Clean round? Next one's one-touch!”
If the serves never make it across, walk the stations in a few steps while they play — a shorter flight and a closer shot — then spread back out as the quality comes.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
If you need your team to feel comfortable inside the penalty box, you have to practice there — and this sequence puts every touch in the box: a chip across the goal, a trap out of the air, and a shot, with the rotation making sure everyone owns each job.
What they learn
Chipping, trapping, and shooting inside the 18 — quality flighted balls, control touches, and comfort finishing in front of the goal.
What's next
Small-Sided Finishing Game — the same finishing, now inside a live game with rebounds.
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.