DRIBBLING

Dribbler’s Alley

Four or more players are needed. Set up one less pair of cones (“gates”) than the number of players you have in a line. Each “gate” should be about six feet wide and have about 10 feet between each. Every player guards a gate and the remaining player attempts to dribble through the gates.

Last Man Out

Two or more players are needed. All players stand at a cone about 20 feet from a group of balls. There is one less ball than the number of players. On the coach’s command, the players run to the balls, get one, and begin dribbling. The player who didn’t get a ball tries to steal one from the others. The coach keeps time and, after a pre-set period has passed, stops the game. At that time, the player who doesn’t have a ball is out. Remove one ball from the group and repeat until there is only one player with a ball.

Tag

This drill is based upon the children’s game of tag. Mark off a circle or grid. Everybody needs a ball. Whoever is “it” must dribble to another player and tag him. The other players avoid being tagged by dribbling away from the one who is “it.” If the player being chased loses his ball outside the grid or circle, dribbles out of the area, or is tagged, that player is “it” and the game continues.

Ball Tag

Everybody has a ball and dribbles in a confined area. The player who is “it” must pass his ball so that it hits another player’s ball. The player whose ball was hit then becomes “it.”

Hat Tag

A slight variation of ball tag. Bring a half dozen baseball caps to practice. Assign hats to the “taggers.” Give every player a ball and have them dribble within a grid about the size of the penalty area. Whoever is tagged gets a hat and goes off in search of another player to tag.

Bumper Car Dribble

The whole team participates in this in a small grid. Try to match players of similar height. Have one player dribble while another partner tries to nudge them off the ball shoulder-to-shoulder. This teaches them to dribble under physical pressure and shows them contact is good and can be fun. Before games, I have two players inside a circle formed by the rest of the team playing for possession of the ball for 30 seconds. It gets players in the mode of fighting for the ball on the field.

Musical Chairs

There should be one less ball than the number of players in the drill. Players run around in the goal areas in a scramble until a whistle is blown. The players race to get the ball from the center circle and dribble to score on a goal. Players without balls help get the balls to the center, repeating until only one player is left. Make sure to keep things moving along; don’t wait too long to blow the whistle.

Once the players have the concept, start adding in defenders. One more that may work for you is to use the ball as the goal. Have players match up by ability. Throw one ball out as the goal. Throw a second ball out that two players attempt to possess and score. The first player to the ball is the attacker, the second player defends the “goal” (ball) and attempts to gain possession of the ball. If they are successful, reverse the roles. Run this for only 30-45 seconds depending on the players’ efforts. I usually have two to three pairs attempting this at once, each with their own “goal” (ball) and playing ball.