Receiving on the back foot is fundamental in soccer, get your players opening up their bodies and taking a touch away from pressure in this easy-to-set-up backfoot soccer session. By receiving on the back foot players are allowing themselves to see the whole field and make decisions faster, in one touch players can beat defenders and drive into space.
This session will teach players how to open up using their back foot by using the inside of their back foot and the outside of their back foot.
It will also lead to pressure scenarios so players can apply this skill in games a lot easier.
Receiving on the back foot session
Warm-up
Time: 15 minutes
Set up:
- 4×4 yard area
- 1 soccer ball
- 5 players
Instructions:
Create your 4×4 yard and area and place a player on each line with one player in the middle who will be the defender.
The players around the outside must keep the ball away from the defender in the middle.
If the defender in the middle wins the ball they will swap with a player on the outside.
Coaching points:
- Light on your feet so you are ready to receive a pass
- The first touch should take you away from the defender
- Use both feet, and try different first touches.
Questions that can lead to coaching points:
- How can we react quickly to a pass?
- Where should our first touch take us?
- What different types of first touches can we have?
Technical activity
Time: 15 minutes
Set up:
- 15×20 yard area
- 5 triangles(made up of 3 cones)
- 1 soccer ball per player
Instructions:
Set 5 up triangles in the area, 4 in the corners, and one in the middle.
5 players will be in a triangle without a ball and the other 5 players will have a ball in the other parts of the area.
A player with a ball will pass to a player inside of a triangle, the player inside the triangle will take a backfoot touch outside of the triangle, and look to pass to another player inside the triangle.
The player who made the pass will now go into the triangle and look to receive a pass.
Begin by asking players to use the inside of their back foot and then progress it by asking them to use the outside of your back foot
Coaching Points:
- The back foot is the foot furthest away from the ball
- Side on position when receiving with your chest facing the direction you want to take the touch to
- The first touch must be out your feet and accelerate out of the triangle away
Questions that can lead to coaching points:
- Which foot should I be using to take my touch away?
- How should I be standing when I am receiving the ball?
- Where has my first touch got to take me?
Progression
Time: 20 minutes
Set up:
- 15×20 yard area
- 5 triangles(made up of 3 cones)
- 1 soccer ball per player
Keep the same setup but now ask the player making the pass to put pressure on the player receiving, they are allowed to try and win the ball back.
If the player receiving the ball gets away after 3 seconds then the player who made the pass will go into the triangle.
If the player receiving the ball loses it they will stay in the triangle and the player who won the ball will find another player to pass to
This will encourage the player to make sure they are taking their touch away from pressure and towards space.
If the player pressuring looks like they are over-committing to closing the player on the ball down, encourage the player to try and cut the ball back across from where the defender came from.
Coaching points:
- Touch should be taken away from pressure on the space
- Side on body position with your chest facing the direction you want to take your touch
Conditioned game
Time: 25 minutes
Set up:
- 15×20 yard area
- 4 goals
- 1 soccer ball
Instructions:
Create your area, place 4 goals opposite each other on the ends of the 20-yard lines 1 for each corner, and divide your players into 2 equal teams.
This will create a wider but shorter player area.
This will be a normal scrimmage however players can score two goals instead of one and will encourage players to take a touch away from a crowded area and towards the space.
Coaching points:
- Try not to coach as much and allow the players to play
- Give individual coaching points where necessary and use questions to guide them to the right answer.
Regular scrimmage: 15 minutes
Comment and share this receiving on the back foot soccer session
If you found this Soccer session useful then please comment and share using our social media buttons, thank you!
Related posts:
The Youth Soccer Coaching Handbook
Take the stress out of coaching youth soccer with 250+ pre-made soccer sessions and drills, just turn up and coach!
Here’s the breakdown of what you’ll find inside:
- 35 Defending Drills
- 35 Dribbling and 1v1 Drills
- 21 SAQ Drills
- 47 Passing, Control, and Possession drills
- 31 Goalkeeper drills
- 36 Shooting and Finishing drills
- 30 Soccer Games U4 – U8
- 20 Pre-made soccer sessions (90 minutes in length each)
