Dribbling to Beat Defenders, Take on Defenders - U10 to U17 Advance Soccers Drills

This drill is a great soccer drill to teach players to dribble at and beat defenders. It also focuses on other aspects of the game such as passing, receiving, and support. Teaches players to take on defenders.
Soccer Drill contributed by: Chris Johnson

Soccer Drill Info:
This is for ages U10, U12, U14, U16, U17 and up. Run this soccer drill with at least 12 players but no more than 12. This soccer drill should last approximately 20 minutes on a 1/2 field. Make sure you have the following equipment: cones, alternate jersey.

Soccer Drill Diagram

Setup:
Set up a 45X30 yard grid and split it into thirds. You will need 3 teams of 4. Start with 4 attackers wearing blue in the 1st grid, 4 defenders wearing yellow in the middle grid, and 4 attackers wearing blue in the 3rd grid.

Instructions:
The coach starts the drill by playing a ball into the 1st offensive grid. Players in this grid pass and support each other in their grid while 2 of the 4 defenders enter the grid and attempt to steal the ball from the attackers. When any one of the attackers has the opportunity, they should dribble across the middle defensive grid (defended by the remaining 2 defenders) and make their way into the other attacking 3rd where they give that grid a numerical advantage. The 2 defenders that were originally defending the middle third now step in and defend the 3rd attacking grid while the remaining 2 defenders now defend the middle grid. This will cause one grid to always play 5v2 while the other grid will always play 4v2. If the defender wins the ball they should play the ball back to the coach who quickly restarts the play. It is important that the attacker DRIBBLES across the grid and into the other attacking 3rd.

Variations:

* Make each team pass X number of times before they are able to cross the middle defensive grid.
* Limit the number of touches from each player.
* Add additional defenders to give more defensive pressure.

Coaching Points:

* Make sure players are dribbling with speed and taking on defenders.
* Make sure passing, receiving, turning and shape of runs are appropriate to maintain possession.
* Good supporting runs.

Focus:
Technical Dribbling, Technical Deceptive Moves, Tactical Attacking