College Extra Pass Warm-Up Line Drills
We saw these great passing and catching warm-up drills at summer camp for one of the top DI teams. Practice multiple skills at once to get your team through line drills in less time!
College coaches are very good at combining skills.
Combine catching, throwing, scooping, dodging and defending to get more work done in a smaller amount of time at practice and before games. It only takes one more second to get each player an extra catch and throw while they're in the drill.
Work in more, smaller groups for more touches.
Run these Extra Pass drills in lines of Midfielders, Attack and Defenders, or work in groups of 3 or 5 to get each player more reps, more muscle memory, and more conditioning.
Do twice as much work in the same amount of time by giving your players an extra throw and an extra catch. Practice on-the-run "Over-the-Shoulder" passes and catches. Teach your players to break down field for the ball, look up, and move it quickly once they catch it.
Here's THE DRILL:
Figure 1.) Put your players in groups of 3 or 5, spaced out in a line 30-40 yards apart. Start the player in the middle with the ball.
Blue 1 will run toward Blue 2 and throws a pass. Blue 2 should come out from his cone to catch the pass back to his shoulder and throw it right back to Blue 1. Attack the ball in the air. Don't wait for it!
PRACTICE TIPS:
- Make sure your players are practicing catching and throwing with both hands, both sides.
- Time your drills for your players age: Warm-up drills and stick skills shouldn't take longer than 20 minutes.
- Keep score to make it competitive! Have each group count how many passes they get in 2 minutes to see who can move the ball fastest and who is the winner!
Let us know how these drills work for your youth or high school teams. Make sure your players understand that the college guys practice the exact same things, just better and faster!
