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LOGINRunning with the ball
Soccer Drillsby Dave Clarke
Train your players to run at opposition defenders with the ball, making it difficult for the defenders to either tackle or turn and chase.
Train your players to run at opposition defenders with the ball, making it difficult for the defenders to either tackle or turn and chase. One way to scare defenders at any level of the game is to run at them with the ball at speed. Even good defenders find it hard to cope with a player capable of this skill.
The longest sprint a young player will make is less than 10 yards and not in a straight line – so for this session to work we’re using a square with one-yard boxes on each corner and with five yards between boxes. Players sprint five yards with the ball and then change direction and sprint five yards without it. We are using six players. You need balls and cones.
This game is all about speed, with two players racing to the next box in a continuous sprint-rest movement. Because of the speed of the action, the rest period is important for players. This should be played for just three or four minutes as a warm-up or between games.
This is a great game for increasing a player’s dribbling and ball control speed. If you can get players to run and control the ball at speed they will learn how to make it count in matches.
Set up
The longest sprint a young player will make is less than 10 yards and not in a straight line – so for this session to work we’re using a square with one-yard boxes on each corner and with five yards between boxes. Players sprint five yards with the ball and then change direction and sprint five yards without it. We are using six players. You need balls and cones.
How to play it
This game is all about speed, with two players racing to the next box in a continuous sprint-rest movement. Because of the speed of the action, the rest period is important for players. This should be played for just three or four minutes as a warm-up or between games.
Technique
This is a great game for increasing a player’s dribbling and ball control speed. If you can get players to run and control the ball at speed they will learn how to make it count in matches.
1. Start the session with three players on the first corner – one with a ball, one to race against and one stays on the corner
2. There should be one player on each of the other three corners who must be ready to dribble the ball to the next square
5. Try reversing the session so players are running clockwise, making them turn and run on their other side
Dave Clarke
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