It is true that there are many coaches who struggle a lot to find effective and free soccer drills for their players. What it conveys is that coaches actually look for drills that the kids can perform all alone.
Drills which do not require any equipment are the best pick to kick start the training program. Apart from that , these soccer exercises are designed to suit the player's age, learning potential, and the role he plays for the team.
One must teach this drill to the players: To dribble the ball and at the same time, be conscious of what is going on around them. This drill is used by many coaches and it is far better than asking your players to dribble through cones.
The players may find this particular drill rather demanding but it is this competitive nature of this drill that ensures player's wholehearted participation in soccer practice.
Let me tell you how to organize this drill.
Start with marking out a square of about 20 yards by 20 yards. The size of this square will vary depending on the number of players, and their age.
Have an identical number of players positioned evenly alongside the square. Players, with their own ball, stand opposite to each other on the sides of the square.
When the coach whistles , every player will dribble the ball to the opposite side and stop on the line opposite to them. Of all the free soccer drills, this drill coaches the players to dribble across the square with their heads up and and do not interfere in each others' path and thats why this is effective.
To add more fun into the drill, make the players dribble across the square and back again, compelling them to turn 180 degrees with the ball. Across the square, for every run, the players vary the number of times they dribble the ball. At end of every run, a player is eliminated and this continues until only one player is left.
Sometimes,when the players are only a few, you'll have to ask the players to run with the ball and not to dribble it.
Coaching the kids of the vital techniques of ball dribbling is truly a great fun. The best of way of making soccer drills interesting is to mix some tough and some light drills together in the training. One can add some drills which are not directly linked to the soccer game but are added for fun.
The important thing is that kids shouldn't do too much of anything in soccer coaching.
Kids learn the essentials of the game very quickly when these free soccer drills are applied in the training.
You'll have to consider joining the youth soccer coaching community for it has got lots of articles, newsletters and videos.