Football & soccer dribbling drills

Everyone has their own ball, and everyone keeps moving all the time. The coach calls out a colour. On green, the players dribble at a good speed; on yellow, slowly with small touches. On red, the ball stops under the sole. Mark out an area of about 15 × 15 metres with cones. The coach stands at the side of the area and changes position from time to time, so the players have to lift their eyes off the ball. The arrows in the picture show the green light. The animation shows the full cycle: green, yellow, red and green again. Harder: the coach shows the colour with a cone or bib and does not say anything. Then the colour can only be seen by looking at the coach. Traffic officer: on red, the coach checks whether anyone is still moving. Any player still moving does five alternating sole touches on top of the ball and continues. Nobody is out of the game. For a bigger group, use a bigger area.

Mark out a square-shaped area with cones, about 3 x 3 metres, and a starting cone about 20 metres below it. The line stands at the starting cone, each with their own ball. The first player dribbles their ball into the area, leaves it inside the area and runs back without the ball to the back of the line. The next player sets off as soon as the previous one has left their ball. The rotation continues until all the balls are in the area. Two teams do this at the same time in their own areas. The winner is the one that gets their balls into the area first. The diagram shows the position of the other team. The other one is set up the same way on the other side of the pitch. The ball must stay inside the area. The drill can be continued so that in the second round the balls are collected out of the area.

Place the cones generously apart so that there are several touches between them. In phase 1, go around the cones normally, varying the dribbling methods (free, sole of the foot, turns with the outside/inside of the foot, etc.). In phase 2, go fully around the cones using either the inside or the outside of the foot.

Two teams compete to see which can get three of their own markers in a straight line first. Build a 3 x 3 grid with cones, one cone in each square. Place a starting cone about 10–15 metres from the bottom edge of the grid, with two lines behind it. Each player has one marker in their team’s colour, and the first player in each line has a ball. Both teams start at the same time. The player whose turn it is dribbles the ball to the edge of the grid, leaves the ball there and runs into the grid. They place their marker in one free square, return to the ball and dribble it to the front of the line. The next player starts as soon as the ball is back, and the previous player goes to the back of the line. A team wins when it has three markers in the same row, column or diagonal. There are three markers per team, so every square is worth thinking about. If neither team gets three in a line, collect the markers and start again. With younger players, shorten the distance. Lengthen it if you want more running.

In the picture, there are three areas, each with one “locked” player off the ball - from the bottom, two players on the ball set off 2v1 one at a time to get through the areas to the other end. The third defender is beaten and then a pass is played to the new pair of attackers, who set off in the opposite direction.

Players are split into pairs. There are several small gates on the pitch. The attacker on the ball tries to dribble the ball through a gate, the defender tries to stop them and win the ball. After a successful dribble through a gate, the attacker immediately continues to the next gate of their choice. The same gate cannot be used twice in a row.

Cones are set out in a straight line 0.8–1.5 metres apart. Players dribble the ball between the cones using the inside and outside of the foot. Relay race: the player dribbles through the course, turns and returns, after which the next player sets off.

8–12 small gates are set up in the area. Each player has a ball. On the coach’s signal, the players dribble the ball and try to get through as many gates as possible in the given time. You cannot go through the same gate twice in a row.

All players have a ball inside the grid except for one "shark", who starts outside the area. On the coach's signal, the shark comes into the area and tries to kick the players' balls out. A player whose ball is kicked out also becomes a shark. The last player on the ball wins the round.

The player starts to dribble the ball towards the first defender and tries to beat an opponent in a 1v1 situation. After beating the defender, the player continues to the next defender and finally finishes into the goal. The defenders are passive (U10–U11) or active (U12+).

A 1v1 drill in which players first weave through cones and then go into a traditional duel towards two small goals. The defender can start moving when the attacker has reached the first turn. After winning the ball, the defender can score by dribbling over the end line between the cones. Change ends and roles after every repetition.

5v5 game in which the team practises building play with a goal-dribble. When the ball goes over the end line, the defending team restarts by dribbling from any point in their own penalty area. The opponent may wait 5.5 metres from the ball. The player on the ball can carry the ball forwards or pass to a free player. In the example, the presser goes towards the goalkeeper, so the goalkeeper passes to the free player on the left. This player dribbles down the flank and passes to the attacker, who shoots. If an attack that starts from a goal-dribble ends in a goal, it is worth two points. All other goals are worth one. Play short blocks and rotate the teams often. According to the Football Association of Finland rules, 8- and 9-year-olds restart 5v5 by dribbling. In matches for seven-year-olds and younger, the opponent drops back to halfway for the goal-dribble and only defends once play has restarted.

Train progressively how to initiate contact and win the ball with recovery pressing. In phase 1, the players set off on the coach’s signal and try to reach the ball first. Contact already from the start; use of the arms and taking control of the running line are important. In phase 2, practise winning the ball from a slightly similar situation where one player has the ball. The attacking player may try for goal if they are able to advance close enough.

One player (in the picture, red, wearing a bib) is the ball winner. In the middle of the area there is a "gate" through which the players on the ball (in the picture, 3 blue players) aim to play from one side to the other in different ways. The game is always continuous, for example 1 minute at a time, and the ball winner changes. Variation 1: the player on the ball must get from one side to the other by dribbling through the gate, then on that side there is immediately a new 2v1 going back the other way. Variation 2: the players on the ball must always play through the gate by passing to the third player, AT WHICH POINT the player who made the pass moves to that side as support at the same time. Variation 3: the players on the ball must always play through the gate by passing to the third player, AT WHICH POINT the player who DID NOT make the pass moves to that side as support at the same time.

The drill starts with a defender’s pass and, after the control, the attacker tries to dribble into either gate goal. The defender tries to win the ball and dribble into the opposite gate goal. A second phase can be added to the drill, where after the first situation has ended, the coach adds a new ball and the attacker has to move with their back to the goals.

Players dribble the ball past or through the cones before shooting. The dribbling starts approximately 20–25 metres from the goal, the shooting area marked with cones approximately 10–14 metres away. Head up before shooting.

2v2 game in a small area, where both teams have 2 cone gates to defend on opposite sides. A goal is scored by dribbling the ball through a gate. A fast and intense small-sided game where every duel matters. Short games (90 seconds), pairs rotate.

The central player moves towards the passer, takes the control with the first touch and turns 180 degrees. Passes with the second or third touch in the opposite direction to the target player.

The attacker starts with the ball from the edge of the first zone. In each zone, a different defender is waiting, who must be beaten to get through. After the final beat an opponent, a shot at goal.

The attacker stands with their back to goal in the middle of the area, with a defender behind them. The passer plays a pass to the attacker, who tries to turn and score. The defender aims to prevent the turn. The attacker's task can be made easier by requiring the defender to keep their hands behind their back.