soccer coaching game for dribbling and ball control

Try this fun game called "Trick or treat" to improve dribbling and ball control skills.

Objectives: To practise dribbling, running with the ball, getting the confidence to control the ball without looking at it.

Age range: U4s and upwards.

Difficulty: Easy.

Set-up: Create a playing area big enough for all your players to move around in easily. For 10 five-year-olds, 15 yards square would be plenty big enough.

Give all the children a ball and spread them along the sides of the playing area.

Place one or more adults on each side of the square. Get the parents involved!

Each adult needs five or six flat cones.

How to play

• On your signal, the players dribble the ball around the playing area.

• When a player gets to an adult, they stop the ball with the sole of their foot and say "trick or treat?"

• The adult says "treat" and gives the player a cone to hold.

• The player then turns, dribbles to another adult and gets another cone.

When all the cones are gone, the winner is the player who has the most.

Progression

The adults walk around the playing area. This encourages the children to dribble with their heads up, looking for the adults.

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