Game version
Color-cue game: a partner calls a color, you shuffle to that cone, set and catch the toss. Pairs count clean catches.
Keeper Color-Cue Reactions
Your parent calls a color; you shuffle to that cone, set, and catch the toss.
By Coach Evan Waechtler Youth soccer coach (U11, Cache Valley, Utah) and founder of SSTracker Updated October 30, 2026
Set up
Put 4 colored cones in a half-circle 3 steps around you.
Core: Two. Beat your own best out of 10.
- Ages
- 11 and up
- Time
- 10 min
- Players
- You and a partner or parent
- Space
- Yard or field
- Bring
- Soft ball, 4 colored cones, partner or parent
- Level · skill
- Developing · Defending
The steps
How it works
- Put 4 colored cones in a half-circle 3 steps around you.
- Your parent calls a color.
- Shuffle to it, set your feet, and catch the toss they send there.
- Do 2 sets of 6, then 2 sets of 8 with quicker calls.
Coaching point
React, set, catch.
Safety: Use a soft ball or a tennis ball indoors. Thumbs and little fingers never overlap. The thrower never throws hard from close range. Stop if a finger or wrist hurts.
Make it fun
Play it, don't drill it
Challenge
Levels: Less (one cone), Core (two), More (a new color each time). Beat your own best out of 10.
Story
You are a goalkeeper who hears the signal and is there in a flash.
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
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