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Free activities · By number of playersSoccer drills for 4 players
18 free, with video
Four players is a small group, not a lost night. Everyone touches the ball constantly, and you can coach each player by name. Every drill below runs with four.
How to split 4 players
- 3v1: Three keep the ball from one defender in a small square. Swap the defender on every win, or every minute if someone gets stuck in the middle. Start with 3v1 Square.
- 2v2: The smallest real game. Both players have to attack and defend every ball, so nobody hides. Win-It-Back Boxes adds a five-second rule.
- Two pairs: Side by side, for 1v1 or passing work. Short lanes, short turns, and nobody waits in a line. 1v1 to Cones is the easy one to set up.
- Add the coach: If you can still jog, play as a neutral for whichever pair has the ball. A 2v2 becomes a 3v2 that flips on every turnover.
Two 60-minute sessions for 4 players
Ages 6 to 8
- 10 min: Soccer Island
- 10 min: Cone Monster
- 15 min: 1v1 to Cones (2 pairs)
- 25 min: 2v2 game. Cones for goals. Change the pairs every five minutes.
Ages 11 and up
- 10 min: 3v1 Square
- 15 min: Traveling Triangle
- 15 min: Win-It-Back Boxes
- 20 min: 2v2 to small goals. Short games. The coach can join as a neutral.
Drills for 4 players, ages 4 to 8
3v1 · 10 min3v1 RondoGroups of four in 8x8 grids with spare balls at every grid.
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Everyone, ball each · 10 minDribbling GatesSeven or eight three-yard gates around the island.
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Everyone, ball each · 10 minKnockoutEveryone dribbles on the island; on KNOCKOUT, protect your own ball while trying to kick everyone else’s off.
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Everyone, ball each · 7 min3 SpeedsTurtle, dog, cheetah. Players dribble around while you call out speeds, switching often.
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Everyone, ball each · 7 minBody BrakesEveryone dribbles. Call a speed, then a body part, and players stop the ball with it: foot, knee, elbow, head.
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Everyone, ball each · 7 minCone ColorsCones in two colors scattered around the grid.
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Everyone v the monster · 7 minCone MonsterThe coach is the Cone Monster and carries a cone.
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Everyone v the coach · 8 minSee Ya Later, Coach!Players dribble at you, drag the ball back with the sole just before they reach you, shout “See ya later, Coach!” and speed away into space.
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Minnows v sharks · 11 minSharks & MinnowsThe coach starts as the shark in the middle.
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Everyone, ball each · 7 minSoccer IslandEveryone dribbles inside the island while the sharks wait in the water outside the cones to steal any ball that floats away.
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Everyone, ball each · 7 minSpace ManPlayers dribble anywhere in the grid and freeze with a foot on the ball when you shout.
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2 pairs · 1v11v1 to ConesPairs face each other across a line neither can cross, a cone at each end.
Open the activity ›Drills for 4 players, ages 11 and up
3v1 · 8 min3v1 SquareThe first rondo. Three attackers on three sides of a small square, one defender inside, two touches and five passes for a point.
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GK + 2 v 1 · 8 minKeeper and TwoThe simplest build-up picture: a goal, a keeper and two backs on the edge of the box against one presser, with two gates on the far line.
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3v1 · 10 minTraveling TriangleThree attackers with one ball travel down a 10x30 channel against a defender who may only walk, keeping a triangle around the defender the whole way.
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1v1 + 2 servers · 8 minCheck and ReceiveTwo servers twelve yards apart, a receiver in the middle with a shadow defender behind.
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2v2 · 8 minWin-It-Back BoxesSeveral 12x12 boxes with a 2v2 in each. Five passes is a point, and if you lose the ball you have five seconds to win it back for two.
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2 groups of 2 · 2 + mini goalRun on the TouchA passer and a runner on a 20x15 with a mini goal.
Open the activity ›Questions about coaching 4 players
What can you do with only 4 players at soccer practice?
Plenty. 3v1 rondos, 2v2 games and 1v1 pairs all work with four, and every player gets far more touches than in a full session. Keep the space small so the ball keeps moving.
How big should the area be for 4 players?
Eight by eight yards is right for a 3v1 rondo. For a 2v2 game, start around 20 by 15 and shrink it if the ball keeps going out of play.
What if only 3 show up?
Three is still enough. 2v1 to the Line and Shoulder-Check Lines both run in threes, and the coach can always make it four.
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All 100 activities, sorted by how many players you have
100 Possession Activities ends with an index by numbers: 4 to 7 players, 8 to 10, 11 to 13, and 14 or more. Count who showed up, go to the column, run the page. 115 pages and 100 animated videos, with a score and two progressions on every activity.