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Drill: 1v1 Dribbling Drill with Attack-Defense Transition (U8 and Up)

Organization:

Set up a 15x15 meter area with two gates (goals) at opposite ends of the grid.

Players are divided into two teams: one team starts with the ball, and the other team starts (with ball) only first without the ball at opposite ends.

The drill begins when a player from the team with the ball starts to dribble. After he start, the opposite immediately presses him.

The receiver must attempt to dribble through one of the gates to score. After successfully scoring by dribbling through the gate, the player must immediately react and transition into a defender.

The next player from the other team starts their attack, and the former attacker becomes the defender, chasing and pressing the new dribbler.

If a defender wins the ball during the dribbling phase, they counter-attack by attempting to dribble through the gates on the opposite side.

The teams switch roles after a set period or a specific number of repetitions / or on every turn.

Progressions:

Narrower Gates: Make the gates smaller to increase the challenge of scoring.

Key Coaching Points:

Dribbling Under Pressure: Encourage attackers to use a variety of dribbling moves, quick direction changes, and speed variation to beat the defender.

Immediate Transition: After scoring, players must immediately switch mindset from attack to defense, emphasizing quick recovery runs and pressing the new attacker.

Defensive Positioning: Defenders should focus on good body positioning, closing down space, and timing their tackles effectively.

Transition Awareness: Both attackers and defenders need to stay aware of the next phase, focusing on how quickly they can switch from offense to defense and vice versa.

Coaching Questions:

To the players:

"How can you use quick footwork to beat the defender and dribble through the gate?"

"What is the fastest way to react after you score and chase the next attacker?"

"How can you position yourself to press the new attacker quickly?"

To the coach:

"Are players reacting quickly to the transition from attack to defense?"

"Are defenders closing down the attackers effectively after scoring?"

"Are players showing good decision-making when transitioning between phases?"

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