Game version
Drop-and-go pairs: a partner drops the ball and you catch it before the second bounce. Swap, and count caught balls together.
Dropped Ball Reaction Starts
React to a dropped ball and chase it down before it bounces twice.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth soccer coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Face your partner from 3 yards away in a ready stance.
Core: Shoulder height. Beat your own best out of 10.
- Ages
- 11 and up
- Time
- 10 min
- Players
- You and a partner
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- Tennis ball or light ball, partner
- Level · skill
- Developing · Pace & Agility
The steps
How it works
- Face your partner from 3 yards away in a ready stance.
- Your partner holds a ball out at shoulder height and lets it drop.
- Explode forward and catch it after the first bounce.
- Do 10 starts; your partner moves back a step when you are ready.
Coaching point
Push the ground away, first step fast.
Safety: Warm up first and run on grass or a flat, dry surface. Walk back between reps and stop if anything hurts. On hot days drink water and rest in the shade; if you hear thunder, go inside.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Levels: Less (drop from low), Core (shoulder height), More (start sitting down). Beat your own best out of 10.
Story
You are a goalkeeper in a snow globe: the moment the ball falls, you are there.
My best
Beat your own count
Beat your own best out of 10. 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 soccer 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.