DRILL ONE
How do I set this drill up?
Place two discs five yards apart to create a starting gate. Place a further disc 10 yards away (positioned centrally to act as a defender reference point). Then place two discs five yards apart to create a gate diagonally to the left and right of the central disc. These gates should be six yards away from the central disc. Place a football in-between the starting gate to finish the set-up, which should now resemble a ‘Y’ shape.
How to do this drill?
Travel with the football using your right foot from the starting gate towards the central disc. When close to the central disc, perform a side step 1 v 1 move, feinting right and taking left. Drive away with the football through the gate to your left with your left foot. Then return to the starting position and repeat the opposite way. Make sure to repeat using both sides equally to ensure technical balance (right & left foot).
What are the key coaching points?
Use the laces part of your foot to travel with the ball and make sure to have your eyes up so you can see everything going on in front and around you. Try to make a slight diagonal approach to the defender to move them away from the space you want to move into. Also make sure you are not too close when performing your 1 v 1 feint move so the defender could tackle you and not too far away so the defender could recover easily. Two-three yards away is ideal.
When performing the move, make sure to be over the top of the ball for balance and control. Soft knees will ensure you can feint and change direction quickly. The feint needs to be believable, treat it like a fake outside of the foot pass. Also use your upper body (dip your shoulder) to sell the feint to the defender and try to take a fast, diagonal touch away so you can accelerate into the space you have created. One touch is most effective. Take the ball away with the furthest foot from the defender for maximum ball protection. Also use your upper body to protect the ball.
How will this drill help?
This drill will help you to develop 1 v 1 skills to beat a defender that is blocking you in front and create space for yourself to run, shoot or pass.
How do I progress it?
Add speed by taking fewer touches. What is the minimum amount of touches you can complete the action in while being in full control of the football? Get a partner to pass you a ball so you can receive it on the move. Your partner can now act as a limited pressure defender, which is a defender that closes you down but does not tackle. Have a partner standing behind the gate, so you can practise passing after the 1 v 1 move. Don't have a partner? Add a mini target goal instead.
DRILL TWO
How do I do this drill?
Dribble from the starting gate towards the central disc using your right foot. Once you’re close to the central disc, perform a side step 1 v 1 move, feinting right and taking left. Drive away with the football towards the gate to your left with your left foot. When in line with the gate, perform a right foot inside cut 1 v 1 move to change direction. Drive away with the ball with your right foot back through the starting gate. Go back to the start position and now repeat the opposite way - make sure to repeat using both sides equally to ensure technical balance (right & left foot).
What are the key coaching points?
Use the laces part of your foot to travel with the ball and make sure you have your eyes up so you can see everything going on in front and around you. Try to make a slight diagonal approach to the defender to move them away from the space you want to move into. Make sure you are not too close when performing your 1 v 1 move so the defender could tackle and not too far away so the defender could recover easily - 2-3 yards away is ideal.
When performing the move, make sure you’re over the top of the ball for balance and control and have soft knees so you can feint and change direction quickly. The feint needs to be believable, treat it like a fake outside of the foot pass. Also, use your upper body (dip your shoulder) to sell the feint to the defender
Try to take a fast, diagonal touch away so you can accelerate into the space you have created and push the ball away with the furthest foot from the defender for maximum ball protection. Reach as far as you can to cut the ball with the inside of your foot and make sure to turn the opposite way to the foot that you use to cut the ball - e.g. right foot cut, turn left; left foot cut, turn right. This will ensure you use your body (upper and lower) to protect the ball.
Travel away with the cutting foot, which will be the furthest from the defender to your side. Try to take a fast touch away so you can accelerate into space preferably with your laces for maximum speed. Use your upper body throughout for balance and to protect the ball.
How will this drill help?
This drill will help you to develop 1 v 1 skills to beat a defender trying to block you in front and to the side. You’ll also learn the 1 v 1 skills to create space for yourself to run, shoot or pass.
How do I progress it?
Add speed by taking fewer touches - what is the minimum amount of touches you can complete the action in while being in full control of the football? Have a partner pass you a ball so you can receive it on the move. Your partner can now act as a limited pressure defender, which is a defender that
closes you down but does not tackle. Still too easy? Get a partner to stand behind the start gate so you can practise passing after the inside cut 1 v 1 move, you could add a mini target goal to allow this to happen if you do not have a partner.
DRILL THREE
How do I set this drill up?
Place two discs five yards apart to create a starting gate. Then place another disc 10 yards away from the starting gate (positioned centrally to act as a defender ref point). Put down two more discs, five yards apart, to create a gate diagonally to the left and right of the central disc. These gates should be six yards away from the central disc and the set-up should resemble a 'y' shape. Finish by placing a football in-between the starting gate.
How to do this drill?
Travel with the football using your right foot from the starting gate and move towards the central disc. Once you’re close to the central disc, perform a side step 1 v 1 move, feinting right and darting left. Drive away with the football towards the gate to your left with your left foot. When in line with the gate, now perform a right foot inside cut 1 v 1 move to change direction. Now take a right foot towards the central disc and perform a right foot chop 1 v 1 move and take a left foot touch to the opposite gate. When in line with the gate, perform a left foot inside cut 1 v 1 move to change direction. Drive away with the ball with your left foot back through the starting gate. Go back to the start position and now repeat the opposite way, ensuring to repeat using both sides equally to ensure technical balance (right & left foot).
What are the key coaching points?
Use the laces part of your foot to travel with the ball and make sure you have your eyes up at all times so you can see everything going on in front and around you. Try to make a slight diagonal approach to the defender to move them away from the space you want to move into. Make sure you are not too close when performing your 1 v 1 move so the defender could tackle and not too far away so the defender could recover easily. Two to three yards away is ideal.
When performing the move, make sure to be over the top of the ball for balance and control. Have soft knees so you can feint and change direction quickly. The feint needs to be believable, treat it like a fake outside of the foot pass. Also use your upper body (dip your shoulder) to sell the feint to the defender. Try to take a fast, diagonal touch away so you can accelerate into the space you have created and take the ball away with the furthest foot from the defender for maximum ball protection.
Reach as far as you can to cut the ball with the inside of your foot, making sure to turn the opposite way to the foot that you use to cut the ball e.g. right foot cut, turn left, left foot cut, turn right to ensure that you protect the ball. Travel away with the cutting foot, which will be the furthest from the defender to your side. Chop the ball with the inside of your foot and take a diagonal touch away with the opposite foot so you protect the football. Try to take a fast touch away so you can accelerate into space, preferably with your laces, for maximum speed. Use your upper body throughout for balance and to protect the ball.
How will this drill help?
This drill will help you to develop 1 v 1 skills to beat a defender that is blocking you in front, to the side and on an angle. It will also work on 1 v 1 skills to create space for yourself to run, shoot or pass.
How do I progress it?
Add speed by taking fewer touches, what is the minimum amount of touches you can complete the action in while being in full control of the football? Have a partner pass you a ball so you can receive on the move. Your partner can now act as a limited pressure defender, which is a defender that closes you down but does not tackle. Have a partner standing behind the start gate, so you can practise passing after the last inside cut 1 v 1 move. You could add a mini target goal to allow this to happen if you do not have a partner.
Recommended stories:
Lucas Moura: Dribble the Brazilian way
Improve your dribbling with Gareth Bale: Part one
Improve your dribbling with Gareth Bale: Part two
VIDEO: How to improve your dribbling with Dan Crowley
VIDEO:How to improve ball control with Dan Crowley
VIDEO:How to improve your change of direction with Dan Crowley
‘Arteta, Alonso, Emery, me… none of us were physical players – we needed the understanding of the game. That probably helped us move into management’: Premier League boss reveals reasons for natural career progression
‘England have the players to win the World Cup – it’ll be tough for Thomas Tuchel to do a bad job, with the squad he has at his disposal’ Former Three Lions winger backs new boss after gentle qualifying draw
