Football Technique

Dribbling drills

It is very important that the proper body posture is explained to children: lowered body gravity centre, bent knees and hip joint, moving with the front part of the foot, head raised (in line with the spine), and central focus on the environment, not the ball.

INDIVIDUAL WORK WITHIN PAIRS AND GROUPS

  • Dribbling with one foot to the cone and back (in three ways – with the inner and outer side of the foot, and with the instep of the foot).
  • Dribbling to the cone with one foot, going back with the other, passing the ball and retreating.
  • Dribbling with one foot, touching the ball at each step.
  • Dribbling with one foot, touching it at every third and fifth step.
  • Dribbling with various parts of the foot, stopping at the coach’s sign, sitting down or kneeling on it and keep going.
  • Dribbling, passing through the hoop the coach is holding up.
  • Training ground with cones-dribbling the ball with different parts of the foot, passing the ball and retreating.
  • Dribbling freestyle in a group. Straight and curved.
  • Dribbling with one foot, with its inner and outer sides alternately.
  • Repeat the task using the other foot.
  • Make a combination of ball receptions, passes, and paired, grouped, or individual dribbling.

Rolling

Rolling is mainly used as a preparation for dribbling and is done by rolling the ball with your soles to and fro, left or right. Special attention should be paid to the body posture in relation to the ball and possible mistakes.

  • Leading the ball by rolling it with both feet alternately.
  • Leading the ball backwards.
  • Rolling the ball from one foot to the other zigzag-wise (alternately).
  • Rolling the ball and jumping over (circumventing) the ball with the other foot and vice versa.
  • Rolling the ball backwards and then leading it into a different direction with the same foot.
  • Rolling after turning on the ball.
  • Rolling the ball in place, in and out.
  • Rolling the ball with the inner side of the foot, from the right foot to the left and vice versa.
  • Rolling the ball with the inner side of the foot, forward and back.
  • Rolling the ball with the outer side of the foot, forward and back.
  • Retrieving the ball by rolling it to the other foot, stopping it with the foots inner side, both in place, and moving.
  • Rolling the ball forward, turning by 90° in a square.
  • Rolling the ball, turning by 180°-360° in a given direction.

Mirror

  • Players stand face to face. One of them performs a task, rolling the ball in different ways while the other tries to repeat his moves as a reflection in the mirror. You can do this exercise with your hands first so that the players get a general idea of what is intended by this game.

Follower

One of the players is rolling the ball in different ways, while the other is standing behind him/her, trying to imitate the moves.

Playing in limited space

  • Eight players lead the ball using various techniques without touching or bumping into each other. Should there be no contact after a minute has passed the playing area is narrowed down. Players that touch each other are out of the game. The last to remain is the winner.
  • Similarly, this game can be played by kicking the ball out of the marked area. The last player who manages to preserve his ball is the winner.
  • Be careful! (frog, crab or snake)
  • The game is played in a limited area. Select one, two, or more players that will imitate the movements of those animals and try to intercept or win the ball from other players. Once they succeed, they should exchange roles with those who have lost the ball. The game can also be played until all the balls are caught, and the last player to lose his ball is the winner.

Frog

You should move around making two-foot jumps from a squatting position, your arms bent in elbows or in front of you

CRAB

Propping on your hands and feet (your hips raised).

Snake

Lying on your stomach, your arms and legs spread

Juggling

Games & Exercises

  • Juggling; the ball can touch the ground once.
  • Juggling; the ball should not touch the ground but remain in the air.
  • Stepwise juggling.
  • Juggling in pairs; the ball is passed with different parts of the body (foot, thigh, head, and shoulder).
  • Passing the ball to a partner, in place or while moving (with your foot or head) using different kicks.
  • Juggling the ball between players’ feet in place or while moving.

Juggling competition

  • 1:1 juggling competition
  • Juggling the ball with the left foot (younger children can use their hands as well).
  • Juggling the ball with the right foot.
  • Juggling the ball with both feet, alternately or randomly.
  • Juggling the ball with the head.
  • Juggling the ball with the thigh.
  • Random juggling with different parts of the body. This can be done randomly or “stepwise”.

Pair competitions

  • Which pair can keep the ball in the air the longest passing it with their feet (they can juggle it once, twice, or three times before they pass it to their partner)?
  • Which pair can keep the ball in the air the longest, receiving it with different parts of the body?
  • Which pair can juggle the ball the longest by passing it with their heads?

Group competitions (4 or 8)

  • The same variants of tasks described above can be applied to group competitions.
  • Competing within a group; participants who make a mistake are out of the game; the last to remain is the winner.
  • Juggling the ball with only one foot, then with the other, and finally with both feet alternately.
  • Juggling the ball and counting. The ball must not be dropped. The winner is the one who juggles the longest.
  • Juggling the ball in pairs. At first, juggle in place, then while moving, with your feet or some other part of the body.
  • Juggling the ball individually (with feet, knees, shoulders, and head). The last to keep the ball in the air is the winner.
  • Juggling in groups until the ball is dropped (form a circle).
  • Juggling the ball in pairs while moving forward, backward or sideways.
  • Receiving the ball from your partner with your chest and juggling.
  • Imitating the juggling style of famous players.

Knocking down cones

Players move in a designated area with many cones. Each player is given a ball. They dribble the ball and then try to knock down a cone kicking the ball from a distance of 3-5 metres. The player who knocks a cone down has to pick it up.

Shots on goal

A coach has to bear in mind that children of this age should avoid longer and stronger shots with the inner side of the foot in order to prevent groin pain or leg injuries common with unprepared and insufficiently developed muscle structure.

  • Shooting from a short distance while the ball is in place (you can organise a group competition, who will get to score more).
  • Shooting while leading the ball or shooting across the training area.
  • Shooting after passing the ball to the coach.
  • Shooting after a double-pass with the coach.

3:3 - 7:7 game in a limited area; four small goals

This game usually focuses on placed shots, both while passing and attempting a shot on goal. The goal is valid even after the ball is received behind the goal line of the other teammate, or the player who attempted the shot/placed the ball through the cones.

Option: players are only allowed to place the ball.

Dribbling in a marked area / among cones

Several cones are placed around a marked area. Every time players get past a cone, they:

  • Dribble the ball around the cone
  • Change the foot with which to lead the ball further
  • Change the style of leading (outer side of the foot/inner side of the foot) rolling, i.e. with the sole.

Each player is given a ball

  • Four quadrangles are formed and each is given a number (1-2-3-4).
  • The players start dribbling their balls inside one of the quadrangles.
  • When the coach calls out one of the numbers, all players should dribble the ball to that particular quadrangle.

Group Exercises

  • The players are lined up in two columns facing each other.

  • Players from the first column dribble the ball to the players from the other column and hand it over.

The same game can be played as a relay. You can also put some cones between the columns (for slalom dribbling).

A 4:4 (8:8) game

Two teams have to dribble the ball across the opponent’s line (three points). For each successful dribbling a team can score one point.

Dribbling the ball through small goals

Players are randomly scattered around the station in which seven or eight small goals are placed. The players attempt to dribble their ball through every goal as fast as possible and as they do, they have to say the number of the goal they passed (1, 2, 3 and etc.). The first player to get through all the goals is the winner.

Option: The task is the same, but the player should make goal shots and go around the goal, get to the ball, and move on to the next goal.

A game

The area has been marked, possibly with a circle in the middle. Players are divided into pairs (each pair gets a number) and they are all given a ball. Put 4 or 5 markers (cones) at a suitable distance (not too far away from the field). The coach calls out, e.g., “red 2” and pair no. 2 has to dribble the ball to the red marker as fast as possible. Who gets there first?

Dribbling

Organisation

  • In a marked area, make goals using sticks or cones (as in the picture).
  • Each player is given a ball.

Procedure

  • Each player leads his/her ball through the goals.
  • Players can’t go through the same goal twice in a row.

Competition

  • Who will be the first to lead the ball through the goals twenty times?
  • Who will be the best-scoring player in two minutes?

Option:

  • Players should lead the ball only with their weaker foot.
  • Two players who don’t have a ball try to prevent the player to go through the goals, kicking the ball outside the field.
  • At first, two players do not have a ball. Their first task is to take a ball away from players who lead balls, and then to go through some of the goals. The players who lost their balls have to steal a ball from other players to continue the game.
  • The ball is not being led through the goal but passed. Thereby, the player must not run through the goal to get it, he/she must go around the goal instead.
  • At the coachs signal, players stop their ball and look for another players ball to continue the task.

Catch the mouse

Organisation

  • A 1 or 2 metre wide quadrangle is marked.
  • Two players are each given a ball to play with.

Task

  • One player (as a cat) tries to catch the other (mouse).
  • Both players have to run and dribble the ball without entering the quadrangle or running across it.
  • If the cat catches the mouse, they have to exchange roles.

Important

  • You have to make a break.
  • Adjust the size of the quadrangles to the players.

Dribbling the ball through three fields

Organisation

  • There are three marked fields (each 10 m2 big).
  • Flags are posted 10-15 metres away from the fields.
  • Players form three teams.
  • Players in each team are given their respective numbers.
  • Each player is given a ball.

Procedure

  • Each team leads the balls randomly in their respective fields.
  • At the coachs sign (exchange), the teams in the two outer fields exchange places, while the team in the middle keeps on leading their balls in the same field.
  • At the coachs sign (move on), all the three teams move fields clockwise.
  • At the coachs sign (flags) all teams lead their balls around their flags and return back to the field.
  • At the coachs sign (one, two, etc.) players whose number has been called out have to lead their ball around the flags.

Option

  • There is only one ball in each field. Player 1 passes it to player 2; player 2 passes it to player 3, etc. when the coach calls out a number, the player with that number has to run to the flag; while running, he is being passed the ball. He has to lead it around the flag and back to the field.

Traffic policeman

Organisation

  • Form four teams.
  • Each player is given a ball.
  • At first, each team stands in one of the corners of the field.
  • The coach, the traffic policeman, is in the centre.

Procedure

  • When the “traffic policeman” points at a team, all its players have to lead their balls across the field to the opposite corner.
  • The first team to arrive to the opposite corner scores 1 point.

Option

  • Players are allowed to lead the ball only with the weaker foot.
  • Players are allowed to use one leading-style only (e.g. alternating feet, lead the ball with the soles, etc.)
  • When exchanging corners, all the players have to lead the ball around the, traffic policeman.
  • If the, traffic policeman, shouts: circular traffic, all teams lead their balls clockwise, passing through each corner and going back to their own. The first team to reach its corner wins a point.
  • If the, traffic policeman, shouts: traffic chaos, all teams lead their balls to the opposite corner. The first to reach the opposite corner scores a point.

Leading the ball through the central zone

Organisation

  • Divide the field into three zones as indicated in the picture. There are two, crocodiles, in the 10-metre wide central zone (river). The side zones are, shore-zones. All the other players start leading their balls from the shore-zones.

Procedure

  • Players have to lead the ball across the river from one shore to the other.
  • Both crocodiles try to prevent their crossing and to take the ball from the players.
  • Who has managed to get across the river the most times in two minutes?

Option

  • There can be three or more crocodile players in the river.
  • If a crocodile manages to steal the ball he/she can exchange roles with the player who has lost the ball.