Down and Back Dribbling Game
Focus of the Drill
This drill teaches young players to dribble. They can learn to dribble in high traffic/high pressure situations while staying in control through this innovative drill. It's a great warm-up exercise as well which focuses on dribbling and usage of all parts of the foot by the team.
Setup
For setting up this drill:
You have to start by making a grid approximately 20X20 yards in size.
Then you have to split the team into two even groups.
Each player should have a ball to play.
You then have to instruct each group of players to line up outside the grid.
All players must face inward on two adjacent sides of the grid
How to Play
To begin the game, the players have to dribble to other side of group on the coaches command and then they have to come back while dribbling to the starting position. The player who comes back first in each group scores a point. The first player who gets 5 wins that set. You can play 3-4 sets for this drill.
Different Versions
Following are some alterations you can introduce in this drill:
You can restrict the team players to touches with a certain foot or part of the foot.
You can even have the player turn or cut when they reach the opposite side of the grid
You can place even groups on all four sides of the grid. These groups can play the same game.
You can even expand the grid and have the players dribble with speed
Coaching Tips
As a coach: 1. You should focus on the team players keeping their heads up while dribbling. It is crucial for their awareness, safety and to avoid collisions and injuries as well.
2. You must make sure that all the team players keep the ball at a close distance.