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Dribbling
Travis Braden, Regional coach Administrator
627-4666 (home)
629-5859 (work)
travis_braden@mgoblue.com
April 20, 2005
Today we will focus on another of the basic aspects of the game of soccer-dribbling. We’ll look at some of the skills involved with dribbling and I’ll introduce some fun games and drills coaches can use to develop those skills in their players.
-First and foremost, dribbling is possession and control. The goal of dribbling is to take the ball from point A to point B. To do that the player must maintain possession and keep the ball under control.
-In order to maintain possession and control players must keep the ball close to their body at all times. Using the body as a shield against defenders is effective, but primarily the dribbler should maintain possession and control by keeping the ball as close to the body as possible. Players, especially younger players, tend to confuse “dribble” with “kick and chase”. Players are kicking the ball too hard if they are taking more than two steps between touches. Kicking the ball too far only increases the chances of it being stolen by the opposition.
-Dribbling is done with inside of the foot. Touches are soft and the ball is pushed more than it is kicked.
-Players should keep their head up while dribbling. This may seem obvious, but many players dribble while looking down at their feet and the ball. Players need to see what their options (passing, shooting) are and this also avoids collisions between players. For this reason I don’t recommend drills and games that involve cones. Players focus on the cones and don’t keep their head up.
-Older and more experienced players should be taught to dribble with both feet, and also to alternate feet while dribbling. These skills increase the options available and make the player more effective in attack.
-In coaching players to defend the dribble, it’s important to stress that defenders don’t necessarily need to win the ball. The secret is to delay the dribble. This allows defenders to set the defense, and it slows the attack and denies space. Two steps is the ideal spacing between defender and dribbler. This reduces the effectiveness of dribbling around or through the defender. Defenders should always go after the ball and attempt to disrupt the dribble, but again they don’t necessarily need to win the ball. Defenders should square up and keep themselves in front of the dribbler as much as possible. Defenders should avoid running alongside the dribbler.
-Dribbling drills and games are a great way to develop both attacking and defending dribble skills. Three I’ve found to be effective are “Sharks and Minnows”, “Crab Soccer”, and “Snake”.
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“Sharks and Minnows”. Lay out a grid based on number of players and age. One player in the middle is the “Shark”. The others, on each side of the grid, are the “Minnows”. On the whistle the “Minnows” attempt to dribble to the other side while the “Shark” attempts to kick their ball out of the grid. Players are out if the “Shark” kicks their ball out of the grid or they go outside the grid. For younger players, you may just want the “Shark” to touch the ball before a player is out. A variation is “Minnows” becoming “Sharks” once they’re out.
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“Crab Soccer”. Just like “Sharks and Minnows” but the player in the middle is on the ground and must stay on the ground. On the whistle players try to dribble to the other side of the grid. The player in the middle attempts to kick players’ balls out of the grid. He/she must remain on the ground and can only kick at balls. Players are out if the player in the middle kicks their ball out of the grid. Again, with younger players you may just want the person in the middle to touch the ball to cause a player to be out. Players eliminated in each round go the middle. As the game progresses it gets more difficult as there are less dribblers and more defenders. Can also be used as a passing drill, as players outside the grid pass to each other as defenders in the middle attempt to steal.
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“Snake”. Players line up single file behind the coach or captain. On the whistle the leader begins dribbling in any direction. Leader may change direction at any time and players must keep their head up and be aware of where the leader is going. Object is to remain in a line as long as possible. Leaders/coaches should change direction often. Leaders may also lead players off the field, towards the parking lot, or in other unusual directions in order to discourage “head down” dribbling. This drill can also be done one on one, with one dribbler and one defender. Dribbler chooses direction(s) and defender must attempt to keep dribbler in front of him.
Feel free to use these ideas or substitute your own. I welcome your feedback.
“I don’t care what you do, as long as you are going forward as you do it.”
TRAVIS BRADEN
REGION 151 COACH ADMINISTRATOR
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