When to dribble? When to pass? Through plenty of repetition, here is a great opportunity to help your players gain confidence when deciding how to execute and breakdown the opponent in the final third. The session starts with a warm up focusing on dribbling at pace, then progresses from 4V4 to 7V7 to a final 8V8 match. Your players will enjoy this fast paced session!

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1.

Setup:

Groups of 4-6, 2-3 repetitions per variation per distance, 12-18 total sprints, 360-540 yards total sprint distance covered with and without the ball.

Instructions:

Start with movement prep, 15 yard distance: side shuffle, 2 and 2 forward shuffle, high knees, carioca, open hips forward, open hips backward. Progression 1- shown with yellow players, the second player in line slips a ball through for the first player in line to react and run onto it and dribble at pace to the 20 yard cone. Progression 2- shown with the red players, the coach plays a ball which initiates the sprint from the first player in line to arrive to the ball as quickly as possible and dribble at pace.

Coaching Points:

Between progressions include dynamic movements: 1- kick straight, kick across, knee hug hamstring, quad stretch. 2- lateral lunge to balance, lunge reach and rotate, deep squat side to side. 3- Reverse lunge to hip cradle, on back alternate leg swings, flip over head to heel. 4- stability bounds lateral, straight leg skip 20 yards. Proper sprint mechanics, first step must be forward, punch leg and arms forward towards the ball. No wasted movements or steps, acceleration and deceleration when manipulating the ball at pace.

2.

Setup:

4V4 inside the playing area with a player from each team inside the five yard channel with a ball at their feet. Multi-directional when the coach plays a new ball into the playing area. Coach dictates possession and the tempo of the activity.

Instructions:

The objective of the 4V4 in the middle is to maintain good possession in order to open up space and dribble over the end line. As shown in the diagram, player A has dribbled over the end line and player B highlighted in yellow has penetrated the playing area on the dribble. The red team can maintain possession and dribble across the other end line. If the ball goes out of bounds a new ball is played in from the coach. Only when a new ball is played in can the team choose which direction to attack, if the ball is turned over they must attack the other end line.

Coaching Points:

When to dribble? When to pass? Be aggressive and take players on 1V1, if things close down quickly put your foot on the ball and switch the point of attack. The player waiting in the channel must anticipate where the space to attack will be and enter the playing area there, thus making it difficult for the four defending players in the middle to react, recover and deny penetration.

3.

Setup:

7V7, as shown 4V4 inside the playing area with two attackers and one defender in each of the five yard channels. directional play to two small goals. The two attackers must stay in their half of the channel but the defender can defend either attacker.

Instructions:

The players in the middle must possess the ball in order to find one of their attackers with a penetrating pass to feet, once the ball is received in the five yard channel, one attacking player can join the channel making it a 2V1 to goal. If the ball is won by the defender or goes out of bounds, a new ball is played in by the coach standing behind the two goals. If the ball goes out of bounds during the 4V4 possession in the middle playing area a new ball is played in from the coach on the side. Play for a designated amount of time and keep score.

Coaching Points:

Draw the opponent in, quickly switch the point of attack and find the appropriate penetrating pass to the target. Create overloads by beating the opponent 1V1 on the dribble. Execution of the 2V1 in the final channel to goal, committing numbers forward with a penetrating run by a joining midfielder into the channel.

4.

Setup:

8V8 to two big goals, organize your teams in a 2-3-1 and 3-2-1 formations.

Instructions:

All players must be over the half field line for the goal to count.

Coaching Points:

All previous coaching points.