Soccer Drills: The Slalom Drill

The Slalom Drill can be an exhilarating experience. As you take the ball from the start, your sole focus is on the obstacles in front of you. Left. Right. Left. Right. As you hit the last cone, there is no time to pause as a pass from a coach or a teammate will come rolling toward you. Gather it in with control and send it right back to the sender. But you are far from finished. Next, take off down the sideline in order to receive a long-distance pass.

This is a high-energy drill that is designed to work on several areas of your game, including ball control, passing and your first touch when receiving the ball.

To do the Slalom Drill, you’ll need one other person. This can be one of your teammates or a coach. You’ll also need to have a lot of room to set up — about half a field.

You will begin around the midline, dribbling with the ball around some pre-placed cones. Once you pass the final cone, you’ll receive a pass from your teammate or coach. After taking a few steps with the ball, you’ll then return the pass to that person.

After the pass, run down the sideline into a designated area marked by a square of four cones. The second participant will then fire off a long-distance pass and you’ll need to have a good first touch to keep it in the square. Control is the challenge, and the key.

Get ready to hit the pitch and run through the Slalom Drill. It could be the difference in simply receiving a pass and getting in a scoring opportunity in your next game.

Want to work on your first touch some more? U.S. National defender Becky Sauerbrunn shares tips on how to maximize your first touch.

And, if you’re looking for more receiving drills, try the Long Square Drill at your next practice.