THE ‘SIDELINE-TO-SIDELINE DRIBBLING DRILLS’ SERIES

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The basic format for this series of drills is one-player/one-ball moving from one sideline (touch-line) to the other sideline (touch-line), on a full-sized field, upon the coach’s command. The distance can be modified using cones to be made age-appropriate. Similarly, more difficult techniques can be dropped to be age-appropriate.

Dribbling

• Free dribble
• Inside of right foot only
• Inside of left foot only
• Outside of right foot only
• Outside of left foot only
• Speed dribble, right foot only
• Speed dribble, left foot only
• Sole of right foot drag over (in effect, running sideways; toes pointed out) only
• Sole of left foot drag over (in effect, running sideways: toes pointed out) only
• Sole of right foot drag over (toes pointed forward) only
• Sole of left foot drag over (toes pointed forward) only
• Sole of right foot drag backward only
• Sole of left foot drag backward only
• Sole of right foot then sole of left foot, alternately, backward only
• Dribble, personal pass, sprint, collect, dribble
• Stepover left, inside of foot from behind right, only
• Stepover right, inside of foot from behind left, only
• Stepovers alternating
• Right heel backward only
• Left heel backward only
• Right and left heel backward alternately
• Dribble, 360-degree spin, dribble

“Running Through” the Ball

Player tosses the ball up and out; then sprints to it in order to collect it after one bounce; contacts the ball using the head, chest, thigh, or foot in order to get it under initial control; gets the ball down to the turf while still running; then speed dribbles to the sideline (touch-line). It is extremely important that the player be coached that he or she is not to stop when contacting and controlling the ball, but to continue at the fastest possible pace, bringing the ball down to the turf while on the run.

Any undefined soccer words, terms, or phrases may be found in The ULTIMATE SOCCER DICTIONARY of American Terms available at Amazon.com.

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John C. Harves

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