Dribbling drills for U9-U10

Dribbling is taught as a way to beat someone. Here it is a way to make a pass exist that did not exist a second earlier.

Young players panic and pass back the moment a defender touches them. This practice teaches the alternative: get side on, protect it, and spin out.

The sharpest direction change available to a dribbler, and it costs you all your speed. Only worth it if there is space to cut into.

No feint, no direction change, nothing to read. Take the pace off until he settles, then go. The hardest move to defend.

This one works on good defenders precisely because they are good. Threaten the shot, wait for the block, then go past the other side.

Swing the foot over the ball, drop the shoulder, push it away the other way. The step-over only works if the defender believes the lie.

No feint and no lie. The croqueta simply moves the ball across your body faster than a defender who has just planted his foot can reach it.

Carrying out of defence is the riskiest thing a centre-back does and often the most effective. A carry removes a presser a pass cannot.

Receive with your back to pressure, sell the fake, drag the ball behind the standing leg and spin away. The classic escape turn, drilled.

Two gates mean the defender cannot cover both. The attacker stops rehearsing a move and starts reading which way he is being shown.

One move plus a change of speed beats a defender. The move alone does not, which is why the acceleration is the half players skip.