Knee tag
Partners try to touch each other's knees while protecting their own. Fantastic for agility, footwork and quick reactions in a small space.
Your assistant coach: turn this drill into a full session, plan the weeks around it and tell me how it went.
Set-up
- Pairs in small boxes.
- 30-second rounds.
Equipment: Cones
How it works
- Try to tag your partner's knees with your hand.
- Protect your own knees by moving, not by blocking with hands.
- Count tags; swap partners every round.
Coaching points
- Stay low and on your toes.
- Short, quick steps.
- Watch their hips.
Add this drill to a session plan โ
Make it easier
- Only one partner attacks at a time
Make it harder
- Add ankles too
AttackersDefendersKeeper / neutral- - โ Passโ Runใฐโ Dribble
Free AI coaching help from Gafferbook. Ask anything about coaching your team.
More warm-ups drills
Traffic lights
Every player dribbles freely and reacts to the coach's colour calls: green go, amber slow, red stop the ball. A classic warm-up for young players.
See the drill โThrough the gates
Players dribble through as many cone gates as they can in 30 seconds. It's fast, competitive and full of turns.
See the drill โFootball movement warm-up
A quick sequence of skips, side-steps, high knees, backwards running and short sprints across lanes. Gets bodies ready to play and builds good movement habits.
See the drill โRob the nest
Teams race to dribble balls from the centre back to their nest, then steal from other nests. Chaotic, fun and full of dribbling, scanning and decision-making.
See the drill โBib tails tag
Everyone tucks a bib into their shorts as a tail and tries to grab others' tails while protecting their own. Agility, scanning and lots of laughs. Add a ball when they're ready.
See the drill โPairs passing on the move
Pairs pass to each other while moving around a busy area, avoiding other pairs. A ball-based warm-up that builds touch, scanning and communication from the first minute.
See the drill โ