Dribbling drills provide your young players with a feel for the ball and how to touch it while keeping control. Utter mastery of this technical skill, essential to even basic soccer, marks soccer's elite national teams, who display gentle first touches on the ball. German youth coach Peter Schreiner recommends running your practices with themes, so that you can devote a day to dribbling, while focusing on passing, heading and shooting in separate sessions.
Beginners' Drills
Teach your players to use all parts of the foot except the toes for dribbling, write D.W. Crisfield and Beth Balbierz in "Knack Coaching Youth Soccer: Step-by-Step Instruction on Strategy, Mechanics, Drills, and Winning." Set up a designated area and give every player a ball. Young players will want to use the inside of the foot. Teach them to use the outside and bottom of the foot as well. Ask the players to avoid toe-kicking the ball. Teach the players to dribble with the shoelace area. Drill the players by having them dribble only with the outside of their feet through a slalom course of cones. Have them drag the ball down the field using the bottom of their feet.
Component Moves
Break down dribbling into component moves, recommends John P. McCarthy in "Coaching Youth Soccer: The Guide for Coaches, Parents and Athletes." These include the chop, using the inside of the foot to block the ball and turn; and the cut, to redirect the ball with the middle of the foot during a full-speed dribble. Fakes such as the scissors require the player to pretend to contact the ball with the outside of one foot, planting the foot and sweeping the ball the other way with the outside of the other foot.
Shadow Dribbling
To warm players up, get them to try shadow dribbling, recommends Schreiner in "Coaching Youth Soccer." Two players dribble, one behind the other, acting as player and shadow. The player in front sets the direction, trying to shake her shadow by making changes in direction. After 1 or 2 minutes, the two players change roles.
Dribbling Through the Goal
Set up randomly spaced pairs of cones to act as goals 3 feet apart. Pair up players and give them the numbers "1" and "2." Player "1" scores a point if he can dribble through three goals before being tagged by his partner.
Line Dribbling
Drills such as line dribbling, a typical warm-up for pro teams taking the field before the match, teach players how to dribble in tight spaces. Divide the players into two teams of four to eight players in a playing area of 20 by 40 yards marked by cones. Set the goal line as running between the cones at one edge of the rectangle. Players score by dribbling over the goal line of the opposing team. Disallow goals scored by shooting or passing the ball over the goal line.
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