Annual training plan · U9–U13

Week 20: Dribbling Basics – Close Control

2 complete training sessions with 8 drills – created by licensed coaches. Open every drill in the easy2coach web app with one click.

This week’s focus

In recent training weeks, most of the work has been on individual and partly also on group tactical content. Of course, players also improve their technical skills along the way.

Nevertheless, the focus on technique should not be neglected when choosing practices and when coaching. This way, small and larger weaknesses in receiving the ball, passing, shooting and dribbling can be eliminated, and players are prepared as well as possible for the tactical content to come.

For these reasons, technique will be specifically trained and coached over the next 2 weeks. The basic techniques were already specifically worked on in pre-season. These should now be further consolidated and applied under greater pressure and in match-realistic situations.

So the individual techniques are first trained specifically without time pressure or pressure from opponents and then, in the next step, applied in competition.

Author Luis Österlein

Session 1

4 drills

The 2-week training period, aimed at further improving basic techniques, starts with dribbling.

There are many ways to carry the ball – with the inside of the foot, the instep, the outside of the foot, the sole, close, at high speed, with changes of pace, with the left and right foot, etc.

In addition to these different dribbling options, which are taught to the players mainly in Exercise 3, the players will also get to know match-related tips for carrying the ball. In the 1st exercise, for example, they need to look up from the ball regularly. Exercises 3 and 4 are ideal for teaching your players to carry the ball with the foot furthest from the opponent.

Coaching points for this session
  • Emphasise two-footedness and a wide range of ways of running with the ball
  • Keep looking up from the ball
  • Carry the ball with the foot furthest from the opponent
Drill 1

Dribbling with Orientation to the Ball

20 min25 x 25 metres
  • The players dribble freely in the playing area.
  • On the coach's whistle all players of the same colour dribble into a corner as quickly as possible.

Variations: The players dribble freely again and continuously swap the cones; on the whistle a corner is occupied again.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area with four corners.

Equipment: Cones in four colours and one ball per player.

Players: Four teams of four players each; every player holds a cone in the team colour in the hand.

Coaching points
  • Do not stand still when handing over the cones.
  • Look up from the ball regularly.
Drill 2

4-Cone Zigzag: Dribbling with Feints

20 min

The set route runs in a zigzag from cone to cone. The runs are completed one after the other:

  1. Without a ball for orientation.
  2. Dribbling along the course.
  3. Cutting in front of the cone, alternating with the inside of the left and the right foot.
  4. Cutting in front of the cone, alternating with the outside of the left and the right foot.
  5. Lunge in front of the cone.
  6. Step-over in front of the cone.
  7. Scissors in front of the cone.
  8. Turning in with the inside of the foot in front of the cone.
  9. Turning in with the outside of the foot in front of the cone.
  10. Sole trick in front of the cone.
  11. In front of the cone, dragging the ball behind the standing leg with the sole.
  12. Combination of different techniques as specified by the coach.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones form a diamond.

Equipment: 4 cones and several balls.

Players: The players spread out evenly at the cones.

Coaching points
  • Start the feints in good time.
  • Carry out a change of pace with the cut.
  • Cut at as steep an angle as possible.
Drill 3

1 vs 1 | Keeping Possession

20 min20 x 20 metres

Exercise 1

  • Practise passing as well as the first touch and taking the ball in stride — laying the ball off, turning and the like.

Exercise 2

  • The player in possession tries to shield the ball and defend it against the partner.
  • If the defender wins the ball, the defender then has to keep it.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area.

Equipment: Cones and 1 ball per pair.

Players: The players form pairs.

Coaching points
  • Control the ball with the foot furthest from the opponent.
Drill 4

Game: Dribbling Through Different Goals

20 min
  • The game is played 3 + 1 vs 3 + 1.
  • One target player per team operates behind the opposition's dribbling goals.
  • The target players must be passed to in front of a dribbling goal and play the ball back.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Tall cones mark the playing area, eight cones mark the dribbling goals.

Equipment: 8 cones, tall cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams, each with three outfield players and one target player.

The complete session as a ready-made training plan – with animated drills in the web app. Go to the web app

Session 2

4 drills

This session will continue to be about dribbling. More precisely, about dribbling to beat an opponent.

To beat an opponent with the ball, it naturally helps to know a wide repertoire of feints and to be able to use them confidently. The feints should look as convincing as possible, as they are ultimately nothing more than an attempt to deceive the opponent. For example, with a shot feint, the kicking leg should be drawn back clearly and visibly. Or with a step-over, the centre of gravity should be shifted to the side being faked.

Once the feint has been performed, the aim is now to go past the opponent explosively with a change of pace and to keep dribbling at high speed if possible. This means the defender does not get a 2nd chance to get into a duel again.

In the first two exercises, the players are prepared for feinting and dribbling at high speed. In the last two exercises, dribbling and feinting can be trained in a match-like way in 1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2.

Coaching points for this session
  • Make sure the feints are convincing
  • Make a change of pace after the feint
  • Use different feints
  • Do not give the defender a 2nd chance to make a challenge
Drill 1

Chain Tag

15 min20 x 20 metres or larger, depending on the number of players
  • The drill starts with one catcher; the remaining players move around inside the playing area.
  • As soon as the catcher has touched a player, that player also becomes a catcher.
  • Hand in hand, the two of them catch further players.
  • If four or more players are holding hands as catchers, the chain of catchers may be split.
  • A round is over when all players have been caught.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones mark a square.

Equipment: 4 cones.

Players: The whole group; one player starts as the catcher.

Coaching points
  • Communicate with each other.
  • Use body feints to unsettle the catchers.
Drill 2

Dribbling at Speed III

20 min
  • Players A and B set off dribbling at the same time from the bottom left-hand pole.
  • Player A dribbles through the slalom poles, Player B takes the ball around the square.
  • Both count the poles they have dribbled around.
  • The players then swap tasks.
  • Whoever has dribbled around the most poles wins.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Poles form a square; in the middle five poles stand one behind the other as a slalom.

Equipment: Poles and one ball per player.

Players: Players A and B.

Coaching points
  • Keep the rounds short but intensive.
Drill 3

1 vs 1 with Set Feints

20 min12 x 18 metres
  • The first two players set off into the playing area at the same time.
  • The attacker must beat the defender with a feint set by the coach.
  • Then the attacker dribbles through the pole goal.
  • If the defender wins the ball, the defender can dribble through the opposing pole goal.

Possible feints: lunge, step-over and double step-over, scissors and double scissors as well as turning inside and turning outside.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: On each goal line there is a pole goal about three metres from the corner; three balls lie at each of the yellow cones.

Equipment: Poles for two goals, cones and several balls.

Players: Two equally large groups face each other behind the yellow markings. Group A attacks and Group B defends in turn.

Coaching points
  • Shift the centre of gravity sufficiently when feinting.
  • Change pace after the feint.
Drill 4

2 vs 2 on 2 Goals

25 minDouble penalty area
  • Two players from Team A with a ball and two players from Team B enter the playing area; this starts a 2 vs 2.
  • As soon as a goal is scored or one minute has been played, two new players each from A and B enter the playing area.
  • The four players who were in the playing area leave it.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area; there are two goals at the ends.

Equipment: 2 goals, cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams of equal size, A and B, plus goalkeepers.

Coaching points
  • Keep the rounds very intensive.
  • The defenders apply a high press.
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