Short answer: to improve soccer IQ, train three habits: look before the ball comes, know your next move before you receive, and decide fast. Then practice the decisions your kid's position faces most. Ten minutes a few times a week is enough to start.
The three habits that matter most
- Look first. Check over both shoulders before the ball arrives. Players who do this more often complete more passes (Jordet and colleagues (MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference)).
- Have a plan. Before the first touch, know where the ball goes next. The first touch should go that way.
- Decide in time. Count it: ball arrives, one touch, then pass or move. Waiting gives the defender time to close.
Center back (CB)
Main decisions: when to step and when to drop, and where to play the ball out. A smart CB checks where the striker is before every long ball, and knows if the fullback or the center mid is open before receiving.
Home drill: shoulder check pass. Stand behind your kid and hold up 1 or 2 fingers on their left or right as you pass the ball in. They must call the number, then pass to the cone on that side. 3 sets of 10.
Fullback (LB / RB)
Main decisions: tuck in or stay wide, and when to overlap. When the ball is on the far side, a smart fullback narrows in to cover the center back.
Home drill: tuck or stay. Put two cones as "center backs" and call out "far side" or "near side". On "far side" they jog in toward the cones; on "near side" they go wide. Pass them the ball as they arrive. Fast calls, 2 minutes.
Center midfielder (CM)
Main decisions: turn or play back, and which way to face. A center mid who scans can turn and play forward. One who does not has to play back.
Home drill: turn or return. Stand in front of your kid with a second person or cone behind them. Before your pass, the person behind shows a hand (turn) or no hand (play back). They must look over their shoulder, then turn or return with one touch.
Winger (LW / RW)
Main decisions: go 1v1, cut inside, or pass to the overlap. Good wingers know where the fullback is before they get the ball.
Home drill: three gates. Set three small cone gates ahead: line, inside, and back. As your kid receives, point to one. They dribble through it fast. Later, point before the ball arrives, so they must see it early.
Striker (ST)
Main decisions: where to run, when to show for the ball, and when to shoot or lay it off. A smart striker runs into the gaps between defenders, not into them.
Home drill: the gap run. Two cones as defenders, 3 steps apart. Your kid starts behind them. When you lift the ball to pass, they curve a run through the gap and finish into a small goal. Mix in fake passes so they learn to time it.
How to know it is working
Watch the next game for two things: more head turns before the ball comes, and fewer back passes from positions where turning was possible. You can also re-take the free test after a few weeks and compare the score.
More drills you can run at home or at the park: soccer IQ drills. The science behind the first habit: scanning in soccer.