Soccer drill to coach a dummy move

This soccer drill is a useful one to coach to young players. When a player steps over a ball they make it look as though they are going to pass, shoot or control, but they leave it so that it runs on to a team mate. This tactic is known as selling a dummy to open up goal scoring opportunities. When young teams are defending, they will often concentrate on the attackers near the ball, leaving players unmarked around the penalty area. A good way to capitalise on this is to show your players how a technique where they look as though they are about to kick the ball, fools the defender and the ball runs to an unmarked team mate. The dummy will draw the defenders' concentration and before they realise it, the ball is with the unmarked player who has time and space to advance on goal. Of course it sometimes goes wrong! But as long as your players are not trying it in their own penalty area, you should encourage your players to use it when your team is attacking whenever the opportunity arises. You will also find your players enjoy practising the soccer drill, and will all want to be the player who dummies the ball. You need to run the drill for the first part of your session without any defenders because your players need to get used to letting the ball run and to react quickly once the dummy has worked.