KC Soccer Blog

Category: Upcoming Practice

  • ⚽ Weekly Training Plan –Sept 30, 2025


    Five years from now, these kids will be trying out for their high school soccer teams. Our goal is to help them get there prepared and ready to compete for a varsity spot. That won’t be determined by how many wins or goals they had at age nine, but by the muscle memory and habits built from doing skills over and over since they were little.

    This winter, Legends has an outline that will bring in more passing and shooting. For now, we’re heavily focused on ball mastery. That doesn’t mean we want players doing a Maradona in our own goal box. Instead, we stick to Skill – Scan – Send. The skills allow us to scan, create space, and move the ball past the defender with control.

    To help track progress, we’ve put together an Excel spreadsheet for skills and stats. We’ll also be choosing two captains each week, based on standout performances at Wednesday practice or exceptional play during a game.


    Wednesday (Indoor) – Ball Mastery Session 5:00-6:00


    ⚙️ Ball Mastery (30–60 Seconds Each)

    • Moving Toe Taps
    • Inside Ball Taps (TikTok, Stationary)
    • Ball Shift – 3 Taps Left / 3 Taps Right
    • Rolls – Left to Right (Stationary)
    • Rolls – 2 Left / 2 Right (Moving)
    • Ball Shift (Stationary + Feint) – R & L
    • 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – R & L
    • V Cut – Outside (R & L)
    • V Cut – Inside (Puskus, R & L)
    • L Drag Behind – Alternate Feet
    • 180 Turn Into Space (Cruyff)
    • Scissor (R & L)
    • Double Scissor
    • Matthews (R & L)
    • Ball Shift + Touch to Space (La Croqueta)
    • Stepover + Touch to Space (Opposite of Scissor)
    • Shield + Turn Into Space
    • Weak Foot Only

    🔄 Skills on Command (Group Work)

    Players move around the field and perform skills on command. They must keep doing the move until everyone has completed it.

    • Scissor
    • Maradona
    • Puskus
    • Wide V
    • Double Scissor
    • Roll
    • La Croqueta
    • L Turn
    • Matthews

    If time remains, quick 2v2 keep-away (no shooting).


    🎯 Focus is on clean technique, balance, and rhythm. Don’t rush control is more important than speed.


    ⏱ Box Training

    Box 1 (Solo Work) – Partner up and compete for high score

    • Wide V Cuts → Bounce off wall (alternate feet)
    • Puskus
    • Scissor

    Box 2 (Partner Work)

    • Point Battle: Shooter scores 1 point if the ball gets past defender and hits back wall (must hit plywood, not wire).

    🏠 Weekly Routine – Moves of the Week

    ⚙️ Home Assignments: 2-5 Times per week

    • 100 Wide V Turns – Alternate sides (50 left / 50 right)
    • 50 Scissors – Alternate left and right
    • 100 Bounce Juggles – Inside of foot only
  • 🗓️ KCL Liverpool Practice Plan – Thursday, Sept 11

    1. Basico Drill – 15 min

    • Passing rhythm, spacing, and ball control. Increase distance

    2. Split Groups – 15 min

    • Group 1: Finishing Drills
      • Quick release shots, use both feet, focus on accuracy and pace.
    • Group 2: Overlapping Passes with Finish
      • Work on timing overlaps, passing into space, and finishing runs.
    • Rotate groups halfway.

    3. Shoot, touch post, then go to defense.

    Drill #1

    4. Play Through Thirds game scrimmage

    Drill #5

  • 🗓️ KCL Liverpool Practice Plan – Wednesday, Sept 10th


    We’ve got two practices with Chase this week. Our normal Wednesday practice will be held indoors at 5:00 PM, focusing on ball mastery and finishing. On Thursday, we’ll have an outdoor practice at 6:30 PM.

    We may only have 40 minutes on the field, so we’ll move with purpose. Please arrive early so we can maximize our time together.


    ⚙️ Ball Mastery – 30–60 Seconds Each

    • Inside Ball Taps (TikTok)
    • Ball Shift – 3 Taps Left / 3 Taps Right
    • Rolls – Left to Right (Stationary)
    • Moving Rolls – 2 Left / 2 Right
    • Ball Shift (Stationary + Feint)
    • 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – Right
    • 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – Left
    • V Cut – Right, then Left
    • Wide V Cuts – Inside of foot, pivot to open
    • Short V → Touch Into Space
    • L Drag Behind – Alternate feet
    • 180 Turn Into Space
    • Scissor + Touch Into Space
    • Ball Shift + Feint (La Croqueta)
    • Stepover (Opposite of Scissor)
    • Shield + Turn Into Space
    • Weak Foot Only
    • Free Combo – Player’s Choice

    🎯 Focus Moves of the Day

    This week we’ll highlight and review two key skills during warm-up and drills:

    • Cryuff Turn
    • Finishing Drills

    Our finishing work will be inspired by a training video, emphasizing game-like actions:

    • Cryuff turn into a finish
    • Two rolls left or right into a finish
    • Two inside touches and two outside touches leading into a finish

    ⏱️ Scrimmage or Box Drills

    If the field is available, we’ll close practice with a scrimmage. If not, we’ll move into box drills:

    Box 1 – One Player Per Box

    • Wide V Cuts then bounce off wall, alternating feet
    • Wall Juggling: Inside of foot only, catching the ball every other bounce

    Box 2 – Two Players Per Box

    • Wall Passing Challenge: See how many clean passes pairs can make in 60 seconds
    • Point Battle: Compete to bounce the ball off the wall and past the defender. If the ball hits the back wall after passing the defender, it’s 1 point for the shooter.
  • 🗓️ KCL Liverpool Practice Plan – Thursday, Sept 4

    1. Basico Drill – 15 min

    • Passing rhythm, spacing, and ball control.

    2. Split Groups – 15 min

    • Group 1: Finishing Drills
      • Quick release shots, use both feet, focus on accuracy and pace.
    • Group 2: Overlapping Passes with Finish
      • Work on timing overlaps, passing into space, and finishing runs.
    • Rotate groups halfway.

    3. Pelota Academy Drill – 15 min

    • Keep-away style possession drill emphasizing quick touches, decision-making, and pressure handling.

    4. Scrimmage – 15 min

    • Free play to apply the week’s focus.
    • Encourage communication and combining overlaps into game play.

    💧 Water breaks should stay short, under 5 minutes total.

  • 🗓️ KCL Liverpool Practice Plan – Wednesday, Sept 3

    Update: Instead of practice we are doing a Scrimmage Sept 3rd.
    Location: Soccer Nation
    Time: 6:00

    We will focus on this practice plan next week, 9-10-25.

    There will be two practices with Chase for the week of September 1st. We will hold the normal Wednesday 5:00 practice focusing on ball mastery and finishing. We will also be holding an outdoor practice on Thursday at 6:30.

    We may only have 40 minutes on the field, so we’ll move with purpose. Plan to arrive ready to go. We will follow the same exact ball mastery routine this week.


    ⚙️ Ball Mastery – 30-60 Seconds Each

    1. Inside Ball Taps (TikTok)
    2. Ball Shift – 3 Taps Left / 3 Taps Right
    3. Rolls – Left to Right (Stationary)
    4. Moving Rolls – 2 Left / 2 Right
    5. Ball Shift (Stationary + Feint)
    6. 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – Right
    7. 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – Left
    8. V Cut – Right, then Left
    9. Wide V Cuts – Inside of foot, pivot to open
    10. Short V → Touch Into Space
    11. L Drag Behind – Alternate feet
    12. 180 Turn Into Space
    13. Scissor + Touch Into Space
    14. Ball shift + Feint (La Croqueta)
    15. Stepover (Opposite of Scissor)
    16. Shield + Turn Into Space
    17. Weak Foot Only
    18. Free Combo – Player’s Choice

    🎯 Focus Moves of the Day

    We will highlight and review these two skill moves during our warm-up and drills:

    1. Maradona 
    2. Ball Shift + Feint – Shift ball laterally and fake with body


    Finishing drills

    Focus on finishing drills inspired from this training video.

    • Ball shift to finish
    • 2x roll to left or right plus finish
    • 2x inside, 2x outside from left to right 2x to finish

    ⏱️ If the field is available we will scrimmage. If not, we will move to box drills.

    Box 1 – One Player Per Box:

    • Wide V Cuts then bounce off wall, using alternating feet
    • Wall Juggling: Inside of foot only, catching the ball every other bounce

    Box 2 – Two Players Per Box:

    • Wall Passing Challenge: See how many clean passes pairs can make in 60 seconds
    • Point Battle: Compete to bounce the ball off the wall and past the defender
      • If the ball hits the back wall after passing the defender, it’s 1 point for the shooter
  • ⚽ KCL Liverpool – Thursday Training Outline (Aug 28th 6:30–7:30)

    This week’s practice will be similar to last week, with a few adjustments. Outdoor Training Drills.

    1. Overlapping Passes with Finish

    • Focus on tighter formation and encouraging more passes.
    • Players should look up before receiving the ball.

    2. Basico Drill

    • Emphasize receiving across the body.
    • Passing drill to help improve hitting moving target
    • Keep the tempo at game-like speed.

    3. Scrimmage with Whistle

    • Play will be frozen when players start bunching.
    • We’ll use these stoppages to teach spacing and create more game-like scenarios.
    • Extra attention on goal kicks and kickoffs so each player knows their role.

    4. Finishing Drills

    • Incorporate one of the weekly focus moves into finishing practice.

  • 🗓️ KCL Liverpool – Wednesday Training Outline (Aug 27th 5:00-6:00)

    There will be two practices with Chase for the week of August 25th. We will hold the normal Wednesday 5:00 practice focusing on ball mastery and finishing. We will also be holding an outdoor practice on Thursday at 6:30.

    We may only have 40 minutes on the field, so we’ll move with purpose. Plan to arrive ready to go.


    ⚙️ Ball Mastery – 30-60 Seconds Each

    1. Inside Ball Taps (TikTok)
    2. Ball Shift – 3 Taps Left / 3 Taps Right
    3. Rolls – Left to Right (Stationary)
    4. Moving Rolls – 2 Left / 2 Right
    5. Ball Shift (Stationary + Feint)
    6. 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – Right
    7. 2 Outside Touches / 2 Inside Touches – Left
    8. V Cut – Right, then Left
    9. Wide V Cuts – Inside of foot, pivot to open
    10. Short V → Touch Into Space
    11. L Drag Behind – Alternate feet
    12. 180 Turn Into Space
    13. Scissor + Touch Into Space
    14. Stepover + Touch Into Space
    15. Stepover (Opposite of Scissor)
    16. Shield + Turn Into Space
    17. Weak Foot Only
    18. Free Combo – Player’s Choice


    🎯 Focus Moves of the Day

    We will highlight and review these two skill moves during our warm-up and drills:

    1. Matthews Move – Fake inside, push outside
    2. Ball Shift + Feint – Shift ball laterally and fake with body

    Each player should try to use at least one of these during the 1v1 game.


    ⚔️ 1v1 With Finishing Drill

    • Players must perform a Focus move of the day to get past defender and let off a shot.
    • Coach can be defender, or offensive player can rotate to defense.
    • Offensive player moves to defense; defender moves to the back of the line.

    ⏱️ If the field is available we will scrimmage. If not, we will move to box drills.

    Box 1 – One Player Per Box:

    • Wide V Cuts then bounce off wall, using alternating feet
    • Wall Juggling: Inside of foot only, catching the ball every other bounce

    Box 2 – Two Players Per Box:

    • Wall Passing Challenge: See how many clean passes pairs can make in 30 seconds
    • Point Battle: Compete to bounce the ball off the wall and past the defender
      • If the ball hits the back wall after passing the defender, it’s 1 point for the shooter
  • Outdoor Practice Outline

    Thursday practice 8-21-25

    We will be moving the Wednesday 5:00 indoor practice to Thursday at 6:30. I will be coaching our Rec team from 5:30-6:30. KCL Liverpool from 6:30-7:30.

    Mighty Kicks: 5:30-6:30

    Liverpool: 6:30-7:30

    Loation: Swarner Park, Shawnee, KS (North Field)


    Coming off the Mariachi Tournament we are focused on improving off ball movement. Instead of being in a position to receive a pass, players are bunching together. We will focus on making passes in front of the other teams goal, and acting quickly when in scoring position. There are 5 drills below that we will be choosing from to improve in the needed areas. We also have to spend some time on basic fundamentals.

    • Try to pass or shoot within 3 seconds of getting ball when near the goal
    • Keep head up when running drills or performing moves
    • Pass before going in for the 1v1
    • Always be scanning… What does scanning mean? Not just the ball but where your teammates are, and where the defenders are.

    Soccer Fundamentals

    We will try to focus on some fundamentals from time to time. Hopefully we can work on forming a wall this week and work on the other the following weeks. If there are any other fundamentals that we need to work on, please let me know.

    We won’t have time to focus on all of these on Thursday but these are some basic fundamentals for our 7v7 league.


    Here are 5 drills that we are going to be choosing from to focus on off ball movement. Ideally we will have 2 or 3 coaches helping run at least 2 drills at once on opposite sides of the field.

    Drill 1: Overlapping Run & Through Ball

    We are going to add finishing to this drill.

    Coaching Points:

    • Keep your head up to see passing options.
    • Communicate with hand signals or verbal cues.
    • Pass/shoot within 3 seconds
    • Finish with shot on goal

    Drill 2: 3v3 Live Scenario

    Setup:

    • 3v3 with neutral balls at the coach’s feet.

    Execution:

    • Coach plays a live ball in.
    • Players play normally, but on the whistle, freeze play.
    • Adjust positioning:
      • Where should support runs be?
      • Who should check to the ball?
      • Who should stretch the field with depth?

    Coaching Points:

    • Emphasize movement into space, not just standing still.
    • Look for triangles of support.
    • Reinforce head-up decision-making: pass, dribble, or move.

    Drill 3: Básico Drill

    Starts at 3:09

    Execution:

    • Receive ball across body (down field foot)
    • Game speed
    • Lots of talking from player receiving pass

    Drill 4: Scanning before receiving Pass

    Starts at 3:03 (Demo at 4:00)


    Drill 5: 4 Points 3 players, center defender

    We ran this drill last week. Players needed to slow down and actually move to receive a pass, instead of just moving because they are going in a rotation.

    Execution:

    • Don’t move until you are in a blind spot
    • Change directions and alternate passes

    https://www.facebook.com/reel/1057329243154008


    Protecting the Ball

    We had a small number of players that were playing extremely physical. Others still need to work on positioning. Here is a drill that we will be running in the coming weeks.