Four team dribble

The session is about is all about awareness and decision making in a crowded area where two games are going on at once. Players are taken out of their comfort zones and must create space to dribble into the shooting zone.

Why use it

Dribbling in crowded areas means decisions are vital to constructive play.

Set up

You need balls, bibs, cones and four goals. Set up an area 30 x 30 yards with a central area 25 x 25 yards. You need a goal on each side of the outside square. We used 16 players.

How to do it

Split your players into four teams of four players – one player on each team is the goalkeeper. Four teams are on the pitch at the same time with two teams playing one direction and the other two in the other direction. Each game has its own ball with the other game is not allowed to touch. Players must dribble into the shooting zone to shoot at goal – one the attacker has crossed into the zone defenders are not allowed to make a tackle. All restarts are with the goalkeepers.

Technique

Dribbling, awareness, changes of direction, clever first touches, high tempo play and shooting.

1. The start and restarts are with the goalkeepers – they play out from the shooting zone into the central square

2. Players should be aware of the opposition and make sure they do not block the players or the ball from the other game

3. Players score by dribbling from the centre square into the outer zone and then shooting on sight

4. Players must play with their heads up to try and find space in the crowded areas

5. Coaches should be encouraging dribbling as often as possible