Dribbling and Tackling

Defend your ball

Purpose: 1. For attackers; to practice basic dribbling, screening and running with the ball. 2. For defenders: to practice basic tackling techniques.

Procedure: Four markers are set up in a diamond fashion approximately 15-20 yards from a 20X20 yard square. Each player dribbles the ball under his control inside the area while trying to tag another player with his hand. Any player who is tagged or loses control of his ball so that it rolls out of the area must leave it and sprint around a marker before collecting his ball and re-joining the game. As players improve, instead of tagging each other, they can try to tackle and knock other players' balls out of the area, at the same time as controlling and defending their own balls.

Development: (a) Extra points can be awarded for the successful execution of set techniques, e.g. sole of the foot dribble (b) Reduce the area or add more players to create congestion. (c) The individual who has knocked the highest number of balls out of the square, or has been forced to do fewer runs for losing control of the ball , wins the game.