Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Dribbling Drills

Dribbling/1v1 Attacking

Organization:
- A and B dribble their balls around the poles and goals and then pass into the small goal.
- Whoever scores first- gets a ball served into them by coach (C) to attack 1v1 to the small goal
- Have players keep their score
Progression: 
- A second attacker and defender can be added to make a 2v2

Skill Relay with Tic-Tac-Toe

(15 mins)
A. Dribble up, past the orange cone
B. Dribble in and out of the cones, come straight back
C. Dribble in and out of cones and dribble in and out back
D/E. Right/Left foot only, dribble in and out, dribble straight back
After the dribbling is done- put a bib in the tic-tac-toe box to get three in a row

1v1 Attacking

FUNCTION

• In this practice, five defenders (blue) must protect gates of various sizes, preventing the attacking players (red) from ‘breaking’ their defensive line by dribbling the ball beyond it.

• The defenders are ‘fixed’ on their lines and can only move either left or right.

• Each time an attacking player breaks through a gate successfully, they score a point. On doing so, they re-enter the playing area outside of a gate.

• A period of play lasts for two minutes before players change roles.

PROGRESSION

• one of the attackers into a defender that operates inside the grid, as in Diagram 2. Their role is to try and steal the ball from an attacker and retain it while the same attacker attempts to win it back.

• Once a player breaks through a gate, they are now permitted to return to the grid through the same gate– still protected by the defender – in order to pick up double points.

1v1 League

• This practice sees six separate 1v1 battles take place.

• The aim of the game for the player in possession of the ball is to run the ball beyond either line A or line B.

• On running the ball beyond either line, the attacking player must then attack the opposite line.

• Each time an attacking player is able to run the ball beyond either line A or B, the defending player must ‘retreat’ behind the central, horizontal dashed line – here labelled R.

• As a block of play ends, the player who has accumulated the most points in a 1v1 battle moves up a

pitch – or stays in their position if they won the battle taking place on Pitch 1.

• The player who has accumulated the least number of points moves down a pitch – or stays in their position if they lost the battle on Pitch 6.

Dribbling Game

Dribbling Game
This is a 4v4 (or however many players you have) end-zone game on a pitch measuring 30yds x 40yds. The team in possession scores points by dribbling the ball into an opposition end zone split into three areas – two wide and one central. If they dribble into the wide part of the end zone, the goal is worth one point. If the dribble into the central part of the end zone, the goal is worth two points. After a goal is score the other team go back the other way and try and score. Normal rules apply.
Progression:
The teams can pass to one of their players in the end zone. The scoring system remains the same.
Coaching Points:
- Eyes up and attack the space
- Change of direction and change of pace
- Protecting the ball
- Close control when under pressure
- Push the ball out in front when sprinting with the ball
Guided Questions:
- When we are dribbling into space do we want to keep the ball close or far away from us?
- What part of the foot do we want to use when we are dribbling at speed?
- How can i beat a defender?
- Why should my head be up when I am dribbling?