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⚽ 24 drills

Dribbling Drills

24 dribbling drills for grassroots football coaches, from U7 to adult. Each with step-by-step instructions, coaching points, and a visual diagram.

1v1 Box Challenge

Most grassroots dribbling drills are slalom drills — kids weaving through st…

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1v1 Forward Dribbling — Commit and Beat

U14 dribbling fails in matches not because players lack technical ability bu…

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1v1 Skills and Moves — Four Progressions

Most U12 players have an instinctive dribbling style but no named repertoire…

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Beat the Line

Running with the ball is different from dribbling…

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Carrying at Pace — Breaking Lines

Ball-carrying at U12 means something different from U8 dribbling…

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Close Control Under Pressure

Close control under physical pressure — defender tight, space small, time sh…

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Close Control in Tight Spaces

Close control under physical pressure is a distinct skill from open-space dr…

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Cone Town

Cones scattered across a grid become 'buildings in a town'…

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Drag-Back Change of Direction

The drag-back is the most functional skill move for escaping pressure in tig…

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Drag-Back Turn

The drag-back turn is the most functional skill move for escaping pressure i…

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Dribble and Freeze

U8 dribbling work needs to feel like play, not instruction…

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Dribble Decisions — 3 Gates

U10 dribbling sessions often default to slalom drills — useful for technique…

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Dribble Traffic Light

U6–U8 players are not ready for static technique drills…

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Dribbling Circuit — Speed and Control

Queue-based dribbling drills are common in youth sessions and almost entirel…

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Half-Space Carry

The half-space carry — driving into the space between the defensive line and…

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Pirate Treasure

Gamified dribbling where each ball is 'treasure' and one or two pirates try …

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Slalom Under Pressure

Cone slaloms have a bad reputation in modern coaching because they're often …

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Sole Rolls & Turns

Before kids can dribble past defenders, they need ownership of the ball — th…

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Speed Dribble Into 1v1 — Beat the Defender

The speed dribble is underdrilled in youth football because most dribbling p…

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Step-Over Into Space

The step-over is the most accessible skill move at U11-U13…

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Step-Over Into Space

The step-over is the most accessible skill move at U11–U13…

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Wide Dribbling to Cross — Create the Delivery

Most U14+ wide players can dribble but make poor decisions about the deliver…

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Winger 1v1 — Wide Channel

The wide player taking on a full-back is one of the defining moments of any …

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Winger vs Full-Back

The wide player taking on a full-back is one of the defining moments of any …

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