Getting better at football comes down to touches on the ball. A player who does ten minutes of keepy-uppies a day touches the ball far more often than in a whole match. These challenges are for kids who play for a club, adults who want to keep their touch, and parents looking for something to do in the park or the back garden.
Every result gives a measurable task: a distance, a number of reps, a target to hit. Write your scores down from one session to the next; it is the best way to see progress. The Solo variant needs a ball and a wall, the Group variant works for two to ten players.
How to use it
- Warm up for five minutes: light jogging, high knees, gentle dribbling.
- Spin the wheel and complete the challenge with the number of reps shown.
- Write down your score in a notebook or on your phone so you can try to beat it next time.
- Do three or four challenges per session, with a minute’s rest between each, and drink water regularly.
All the options
- One-touch passing
- In pairs, 8 metres apart, string together 50 passes without a controlling touch, inside of the foot. If the ball stops, the count goes back to zero.
- Passing square
- Four players on the corners of a 10-metre square move the ball round for two minutes one way, then two minutes the other. Each passer follows their pass and takes the receiver’s spot.
- Rondo
- Five or six players in a circle pass the ball while one player in the middle tries to win it. Two touches maximum each; whoever loses the ball goes in the middle.
- Penalty shoot-out
- Five penalties each from 11 metres, with everyone taking a turn in goal. The taker picks a side before placing the ball and must not change their mind.
- 1 v 1
- Two mini goals (two cones a metre apart) 15 metres from each other, one-minute duels. The winner stays on and the loser makes way for the next player.
- Keepy-uppy contest
- Everyone takes a turn and keeps their best of two attempts. To raise the stakes, weak-foot touches count double.
- Cross and finish
- One player crosses from the wing, the other finishes with their foot at the edge of the box; ten crosses each, then swap. A goal scores 2 points, a shot on target 1.
- Slalom relay
- Two teams in a line dribble round five cones and come back to pass the ball to the next player. The first team to get everyone through wins.
- Numbers game
- Players in two teams each get a number; the coach calls one out and both players with that number race to the ball in the centre to score. A great test of reactions.
- Three-touch match
- A small-sided game where nobody may take more than three touches before passing or finishing. It forces players to look up and find space.
- Football tennis
- A bench or a stretched rope makes the net; one bounce allowed per side and three touches at most before returning it. Games go to 11 points.
- Keeper under pressure
- One goalkeeper, everyone else shoots in turn from 10 metres, non-stop, for a minute. Count the saves, then change keeper.
Frequently asked questions
How do you learn keepy-uppies?
Drop the ball from your hands, kick it up once with your laces and catch it. Then move on to two touches with a bounce in between, and finally drop the bounce; ten minutes a day brings visible progress within a few weeks.
What football drills can you do on your own?
Keepy-uppies, wall passes, dribbling through cones and target practice. A wall without windows and a ball are all you need, with no goal or partner.
How long should a solo football session last?
Between 20 and 45 minutes: a five-minute warm-up, three or four challenges, then some gentle stretching. Three short sessions a week beat one long one.
What age are these football challenges suitable for?
The dribbling and passing challenges suit children from 6 or 7, with distances halved. Keepy-uppies and volleys need more coordination, so aim for 8 or 9 and up.