Shielding the ball

What this session is about

1. Improving ball control.
2. Improving confidence when in possession.

What to think about

Players shielding the ball need to:

• Place the body between the ball and the defender.
• Point the shoulder at the opponent.
• Have the knees bent, bottom lowered and the feet must be shoulder-width apart.
• Place an arm in the centre of the opponent’s chest.
• Use the arms, shoulders, body and legs to keep the opponent away.
• Keep the ball moving by using the foot farthest from the opponent.

Set-up

What you get your players to do

Use one ball between two players. Place the ball on a disc cone and play 1v1.

Without touching it, one player must shield the ball for 10 seconds and stop the opponent knocking the ball off the cone.

If the player shielding the ball is successful, they earn a point. The opponent wins a point for knocking the ball off the disc cone. Players reverse the roles after five attempts each. After that, players change partners.

To progress, players move to a 10-yard square and repeat the drill, but this time without the cone, meaning the player in possession can now move the ball to keep it away from the defender.