Keep it in the box
Three players dribble inside a box while two defenders come in through a gate. A defender who wins a ball and dribbles it out of the gate scores.
- Ages
- U8–U10
- Players
- 8 in two boxes: 3 dribblers with a ball each, 2 defenders per box — one box and one ball shown
- Area
- 15×15 yd
- Time
- 10 min
One example
Defenders come in — see where they are.
Coaching points
- Know where the defender is as they come through the gate.
- Defender close? Put your body between them and the ball.
- Turn away and dribble into free space.
- 30-second rounds, then swap a defender with a dribbler.
Equipment: cones for 2 boxes and gates, bibs, 1 ball per dribbler
Based on US Youth Soccer — Ball Mastery and Dribbling Skill Practice (master list of 30 activities), in our own words.