Staying on the ball – Practice
Allow your players to develop confidence and technique in this three-part session. By HANNAH DUNCAN MORE
Close contact
Improve your players’ mastery of the ball by working on their ability to keep it under close control while moving forward.
What this session is about
- Close control
- Improving ball familiarity
What to think about
Players must:
- Keep the ball within playing distance.
- Use the inside and outside of both feet.
- Take quick, small steps.
- Dribble with their head up.
- Work on technique first before increasing their speed.
Set-up
| Warm up | Session | Developments | Game Situation | Warm Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 15 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 10 minutes |
What you get your players to do
Set up a 20-yard square with a five-yard square in the centre containing four balls.
Place three cones in diagonal lines from the centre square to the corners of the outer square. Two players wait on these corners.
Player 1 runs to the centre square, gets a ball and dribbles it back to his partner, keeping it under close control then passing.
Player 2 dribbles the ball back to the centre square, returns to player 1 who runs back to the centre and repeats. Do this three times.
Variation 1: Players dribble through the cones.
Variation 2: Players start with the ball in the corner, dribble through the cones, turn inside the centre square, dribble back alongside the cones and pass to the next player who repeats the drill.
Player 1 runs to the middle square, gets a ball, dribbles it back then passes to player 2 to dribble to the centre, leave the ball and return.
Development
Eight players, each with a ball, on a 20-yard square.
One of the players is the “Tagger” (T). He attempts to tap the ball of as many opponents as he can in one minute while every player dribbles around the square. T must be in control of his ball when he tags. A player being forced out of the square counts as a point for T. Each player takes a turn to see who is the best Tagger.
One player is the “Tagger” (T). He dribbles his ball into the ball of dribbling opponents as many times as possible in one minute.
Game situation
Play 4v4 on a 30-yard square. Place five coned goals randomly around the square. Teams score a point when they dribble the ball through one of the goals. Use dribble-ins rather than throw-ins.
Play 4v4. Players score by dribbling the ball through a coned goal.
