Win the 1v1 from a standing start. React first to the call, get to the ball before your opponent, attack him directly rather than slowing down, and finish early in the small goal.
Split into two teams on opposite sidelines of a 15x20 yard area with a small goal on each end line, and number each team the same way. Serve a ball in and call a number; those players come on and play 1v1 until a goal is scored or the ball leaves the area, then everyone returns and you call new numbers. Call two or three numbers for 2v2 or 3v3. Keep the serves varied so the race is never the same.
Whoever reaches the ball first sets the terms of the duel, and in this game that decides more outcomes than any dribbling skill does. The player who arrives first is attacking. The player who arrives second is defending, whether or not that was the plan. Understanding that changes how players treat the first two strides, which are otherwise something they do without thinking.
The reaction is the trainable part. Staying genuinely ready on the line, weight forward, watching rather than chatting, is worth more than being the quicker player over ten yards. Coaches can see who is ready and who is standing flat-footed, which makes it something to praise specifically.
Once a player has the ball, the instruction is to attack the opponent immediately rather than settling. A first touch that slows down gives a defender time to set his feet, and the advantage of winning the race evaporates. Driving straight at him keeps him retreating and unbalanced.
The player who loses the race has a genuine job too, and it should be coached rather than treated as a consolation. Get goal-side, slow it down, delay. A defender who prevents a shot for five seconds in a game this size has done well.
The format is worth using because it is competitive and short, which suits young players, and because it produces a lot of duels quickly. It also has an obvious limitation: it is a repeated 1v1 from a fixed start, so it trains the duel and nothing about team play.
Save it to your private drills, then change the animation, adjust positions, swap equipment, or drop it into a session block. Or start from a blank pitch and build your own.