Dribbling ยท U7 to U12

King of the ring

Everyone dribbles inside the ring, protecting their own ball while trying to knock other balls out. The last player with a ball is king. Shielding, close control and awareness in one game.

U7 to U12Ages
6 to 20Players
15 x 15 mArea
10 minsTime

Your assistant coach: turn this drill into a full session, plan the weeks around it and tell me how it went.

Set-up

  • Mark a square or circle; every player has a ball inside it.
  • Players knocked out do keepy-uppies or a skill challenge outside, then rejoin.

Equipment: Cones, 1 ball each

How it works

  1. Keep your ball in the ring while trying to knock others out.
  2. If your ball leaves the ring, do a quick challenge outside and come back in.
  3. Count who stays in the longest, or play for a minute and count knock-outs.

Coaching points

  • Keep your body between your ball and opponents.
  • Head up: know who's coming.
  • Ball close when someone's near, longer touches into space.

Add this drill to a session plan โ†’

Make it easier

  • Bigger ring
  • Knocked-out players back in straight away

Make it harder

  • Smaller ring
  • Weak foot only
  • Two players start without a ball as hunters

AttackersDefendersKeeper / neutral- - โ†’ Passโ†’ Runใ€ฐโ†’ Dribble

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