Handling Flighted Balls

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Handling Flighted Balls is a soccer receiving drill for U10 to U16 players that builds comfort with the ball arriving out of the air. Servers stand around a circle tossing balls in by hand while the inside group moves, checks, and cushions each serve with whatever surface you call: feet, thigh, chest, or head. It doubles nicely as a warm-up because the inside players never stop moving between reps.

Want more? See all our soccer receiving drills or jump to U13 soccer drills for this age group.

Setup

• Mark a circle roughly 20 yards across.
• Split the squad into two groups, with one ball for every two players.
• Group 1 spreads around the outside of the circle, each holding a ball in their hands.
• Group 2 scatters inside the circle; they are the workers.

How It Works

1. Inside players check away, then move sharply toward any outside server.
2. The server tosses a flighted ball in, and the worker controls it with the surface you have called out.
3. The worker settles the ball and returns it along the ground to the same server.
4. They immediately move on to a different server and repeat.
5. Work continuously for one minute, then swap the groups.

Coaching Points

• The first touch should kill the ball's flight softly, not bounce it away.
• Square the shoulders to the thrower before the ball arrives.
• Return passes must roll accurately to the server's feet with sensible pace.
• Keep the intensity honest; the drill is a workout as well as a technical exercise.

Variations

• Start on the ground with one-touch return passes before going aerial.
• Rotate through the full menu: inside-foot volleys, instep volleys, thigh cushions, chest control, and headers.
• Require two different surfaces on one serve, such as chest then foot, before the return.