Dribbling and Tackling

Pressure drill
Purpose: To practice timing tackles and basic dribbling skills

Procedure: In an area 20X10 yards, two small goals are situated on the corners of one end of a rectangle which has been split into two halves. The squad is broken up into small groups, with one player acting as the defender; 4 players are lined up facing him with a ball at their feet. On the signal each player, in turn , tries to dribble the ball past the defender to score in either of the small goals. The dribbler can only score from the shaded zone, while the defender is allowed to tackle for the ball and knock it out of play from anywhere in the rectangle. As soon as this happens, or if a goal is scored, the next dribbler sets off to attack.

Development: (a) Use different techniques, e.g. block tackle or change-of-pace dribble. (b) Each defender can be given a set time period, e.g. 1 minute, and points awarded for the least or most goals scored in that time.