Approach as if preparing to strike a hard shot or cross, exaggerating your kicking foot wind-up. Plant your non-kicking foot beside or slightly ahead of the ball, turn your hips, and instead of striking, hook the inside of your kicking foot over the ball to tap it back behind your standing leg. Spin 180 degrees to follow the ball and accelerate away.
This page is dedicated to improving a player's ability to dribble with the ball. Ideally our players are working on dribbling nearly every day on their own. On this page we will look at control dribbling, dribbling to beat a player, shielding, and speed dribbling.
What Right Looks Like
Coaching Points
Training to improve dribbling is all about getting thousands and thousands of touches on the ball so the ball becomes "connected" to the player in many ways the same way his feet area. Great dribblers are able to dribble in nearly every game condition without thinking about it. They have done so many touches their body to just knows what to do. To achieve this players need to practice different moves and different ways of touching the ball over and over and over again. Players want to follow a crawl-walk-run approach to improving their dribbling. In the crawl phase lay out a bunch of cones and practice on your own. No competition. No pressure. Just get lots of repetitions to the point it becomes natural. Then move to the crawl phase where you add some pressure like time or potentially an opponent playing at 50% effort. Finally, once you are consistently successful at the crawl, move to run where you make it game like and go again and again. Take on an opponent one on one. Take on two opponents and see if you can beat them. Try your new skills in a game.
Dribbling Drills (Beating an Opponent)
Description
Description
Dribble directly toward the defender with close control. Take a wide step outward with your plant foot while dropping your hips and forcefully dipping your shoulder toward that side as a feint. As the defender shifts their weight to cover the fake, push off your plant foot and use the outside of your opposite foot to take a quick touch past them on the other side.
Description
Step onto the top of the ball with the sole of your foot and drag it straight backward past your standing leg. As the ball clears your heel, quickly open your ankle and use the inside of the same foot to push the ball 90 degrees sideways behind your plant leg, forming a distinct L pattern to escape pressure into open space.
Description
Approach the defender with the ball slightly toward your dominant foot. In one fluid motion, slide the ball laterally across your body using the inside of your dominant foot to the inside of your non-dominant foot. Immediately push the ball forward into open space with the receiving foot in an L-shaped path and explode past the defender.
Description
Approach the defender in a low, balanced stance. Swing your foot around the front of the ball in an outward looping motion without touching it. Plant that foot 1-2 feet sideways while dipping your shoulder to fake going in that direction. Push off the plant foot and use the outside of your opposite foot to cut the ball diagonally away, accelerating into open space.
Description
Dribble toward the defender and place the sole of your lead foot on top of the ball to pin or slow it. Spin your body 180 degrees on your plant leg so your back shields the defender. Place your second foot on top of the ball with the sole and drag it backward behind you as you complete the full 360-degree rotation, then accelerate into open space.