Game version
Shadow-form game: practice the stance and footwork on a partner’s walking line with no contact at all. Swap, and share one thing you liked.
Team Pursuit Drill
Every defender takes the right angle to a runner heading for the sideline and finishes with a two-hand touch.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Defenders line up across the field.
Core: Jogs. Beat your own run of balanced stances.
- Ages
- 14 and up
- Time
- 12 min
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- Cones, team, coach
- Level · skill
- Advanced · Defending
The steps
How it works
- Defenders line up across the field.
- A runner jogs toward a sideline cone.
- Each defender takes an angle that meets the runner ahead of the cone.
- Finish with a two-hand touch on the hips; do 6 reps.
Coaching point
Take away the sideline, then close.
Safety: Two-hand touch only. Warm up first, run on flat, dry ground and stop if a muscle feels tight. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade, and stop if you feel dizzy or get a headache. If you hear thunder, go inside.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Pick a level: Less (partner walks), Core (jogs), More (changes direction). Beat your own run of balanced stances.
Story
You are a shadow that stays right in front of its owner.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own run of balanced stances. Only your own number counts: today against last time.
Practice makes progress
Print it now, or save it free
Free for families and teams
Save this drill to your child or team, free
Sign up and the free football week for this age opens in your child's planner, kept to healthy limits. A coach can send this drill to the whole team as homework, and parents see every session logged.
14 days free for a family, no card · Running a team is always free
Does your child's coach know about this?
An email from you to the coach, with the words ready. Nothing is tracked and nobody is rewarded.