Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Dribbling Drills

Skill Acquisition (10 mins)

Key Factors

• Introduce the session topic within the warm up.

• Pitch already set up before the session.

• Using cones, set up a square 5mx5m and a rectangle 15mx5m. Use different colour cones for each one to help the players to visualise it.
• Each player should have 1 ball each for this drill.  
• Split the group into 2 “teams” using bibs.

The Drill

• To begin with, a skills acquisition is carried out within the Players to grab a ball each and go into a square grid.
• Get the players to dribble around. 
• Stop the players and give them a movement (jump/hop etc) and associate it with a number. When the coach shouts out that number, the players are to carry out the movement. This is then repeated until you have a selection of skills to choose from. 
• Do this for 5 minutes.

Session Tasks

Raise the Pulse / Movement - Players are continuously moving and being active.

Skill Development - Basic mechanics for the skills are introduced through the general warm up however not looked into in too much depth as that is not the aim of the warm up.

Progressions/Regressions

• Speed up the tempo of the commands to create a high intensity
• Include more instructions and a skill acquisition to make the players think more.
• Alter the area size

• Coach the mechanics of dribbling.

• Observe the players and identify any issues that may need an individual intervention.

• Get player work rate correct from the beginning.

• Make the activities within the skill acquisition fun to get the players engaged.

Skill Practice (15 mins)

Key Factors

• 1v1s within smaller groups
• Keep pitch layout the same
• Teams remain the same. Players keep bibs on
• Realism, more decisions
• Greater longer term learning benefits

The Drill

• Keep the same pitch set up
• If there is more than 1 coach, a coach takes a group each to tailor more specific and detailed coaching whilst still being able to manage the team.
• Players split into attackers and defenders. 
• Blue side to pass the ball through to the Red. The player receiving the ball is to then dribble into the grid as an attacker. The player who passed the ball also comes into the grid but as a defender. This creates a 1v1 situation. 
• The 1v1 is played. Players can win their 1v1 by dribbling the ball over the opposite line. Once the ball is dead, players go to the back of the queue and the process is repeated.

Progressions/Regression

• Set individual challenges or targets within the groups.
• Bigger or smaller areas 
• Two attackers vs one defender 

Coaching Points

• Decision making within the small groups. 
• How do players utilise the skills just learnt into practice within an opposed environment?
• Utilise the opportunity to intervene in this session to help progression