Dylan Hunter

This drill teaches players to dribble in high traffic/high pressure situations while staying in control. It’s a great warm-up to focus on dribbling with all parts of the foot.
Soccer Drill contributed by: Chris Johnson
Drill Info:
This is for ages U6, U8, U10, U12. It is best ran with at least 8 players but no more than 16 players. The drill should be ran approximately 20 minutes on a small field. The coach will also make sure they have the following equipment: cones, .

Setup:
Start by making a grid approximately 20X20 yards. Split the team into two groups. Each player should have a ball. Instruct each group of players to line up outside the grid facing inward on two adjacent sides of the grid (half of the group on one side, the other half on the side next to the other group).

Instructions:
On the coaches command, instruct the players to dribble to the other side of the group and back to the starting position (down and back). The first player back in each group gets a point. The first player to 5 wins that set. Play 3-4 sets.

Variations:
- restrict players to touches with a certain foot or part of the foot. (example: left foot only, or outside of the foot only)
- Have the player turn or cut when they reach the opposite side of the grid
- Place even groups on all four sides of the grid and play the same game. - Make the grid a bit larger and have the players dribble with speed

Coaching Points:
- focus on the players getting their heads up while dribbling for awareness and to avoid collisions
- make sure players keep the ball at a close/safe distance. If the ball is too far in front of them they will most often hit another player or lose their ball.

Focus:
Technical Dribbling, Technical Turning, Tactical Vision