HOME Football SEARCH

Football: close control

DRILLS (27)SESSIONS (4) ANSWERS (6)

close control DRILLS

View All

Close control dribble

Players stand in a line with one ball each and take it in turns to run around the cones (space the cones around 5 metres apart). The dribbling player should aim to keep the ball close to their feet at all times as they navigate around the cones. As they approach the centre cone they run around it before moving onto the next cone. Every time they go round an outside cone the next cone should be the middle one.

Dribbling

Dribble Race

Set up 3 gates on each side as shown. The blue team run through the blue gates and the red team run through the red gates. Players run with the ball through all the gates, round the last cone and then bring the ball back. The first player to get back wins a point for their team.

Dribbling

Figure of 8

Close control dribbling with the ball. This practice is a good practice to set up as part of a skill circuit where the players pratice lots of variations of dribbling. Place the cones about 5 metres apart and ask the players to dribble around the cones in a figure of eight as fast as they can.

Dribbling

Mirrors

Group in pairs. One ball per pair. Position one player on each side of an imaginary line made by the discs. Repeat in 5 other areas for a total of 12 players. One player starts with the ball. Neither player is allowed to cross the imaginary line. The player in possession of the ball attempts to dribble to either of the discs before the defender touches the very same disc. Repeat practice with the other player in possession. To encourage feints, try doing the practice first without a ball, then with.

Dribbling

Old Trafford

Players must listen and respond to the coaches commands. If the coach says North Stand the players must dribble to that line, likewise if the coach says South Stand the players run to that end. Below are some commands you could use.1. The Boss is here - Players stand to attention and salute.2. The trainer is here - Players fall to the ground and grab their knees and make lots of noise.3. Diving headers - Players fall to the ground, face down with forehead on the ball.

Dribbling

Sleeping Giant

Set up an area as shown with the coach (sleeping giant) in one end surounded by cones (gold coins). The players are at the other end and they have 1 ball each. While the sleeping giant is asleep the players can move towards him/her, as soon as the sleeping giant awakes they have to stop and be still, if they are caught moving the sleeping giant can chase them back to the start. If players get to the sleeping giant they pick up a gold coin and run back to the starting area to store it.

Dribbling

Under The Bridge

Players dribble their ball up to the hurdles and then feed the ball under each one until they reach the end of the line. When players reach the end they should dribble the ball back to the end of their queue of players.

Agility

Football: Close control dribbl...

Players stand in a line with one ball each and take it in turns to run around the cones (space the cones around 5 metres apart). The dribbling player should aim to keep the ball close to their feet at all times as they navigate around the cones. As they approach the centre cone they run around it before moving onto the next cone. Every time they go round an outside cone the next cone should be the middle one.

General

Football: Dribble Maze - Sport...

Skills dribbling - players dribble with the ball to the first cone which they should then run around in an anti-clockwise direction. They then run to the second cone and run around this one in an anti-clockwise direction as well. From this point players run through the two gates before running from the near right to far left cone, along the back edges of the blue cones (far left to far right) and finally around the near left cone before dribbling back to the touchline.

General

Football: Controlled lateral d...

Set up two cones about 2-3 metres apart. Players work individually with a ball each. Players must face forward at all times while moving the ball from cone to cone, dragging the ball with the sole of their foot.

General

Figure of 8 Dribbling - Footba...

Close control dribbling with the ball. This practice is a good practice to set up as part of a skill circuit where the players pratice lots of variations of dribbling. Place the cones about 5 metres apart and ask the players to dribble around the cones in a figure of eight as fast as they can.

General

Football: Crazy Dribble Relay ...

Four groups are placed at four corners of the square. The two groups to one side of the square dribble the ball around the square in a clockwise fashion and the other two dribble the ball around the square in a anti-clockwise fashion. Keep going until all the team have been at least once.

General

Football: Change over dribble ...

Working with one ball between two players start on opposite cones. The first player dribbles the ball to the end cone whilst the other player jogs past them to the other cone. On reaching the far cone the player with the ball turns and plays a flat, driven pass to the other player on the cone.

General

Zig-Zag Dribbling - Football D...

Set up cones in a zig-zag formation. Groups of 6 are stationed on the endline. 1 ball per group. The dribblers move up, then back down the cones performing inside and outside of the foot turns to get back to their team. Inside of the foot, chop on the way up, outside hook on the way down. Make it a race between the groups.

General

Bull Dog Dribbling - Football ...

Five players start on one end line, each with a ball. One defender is stationed in the middle without a ball. All players must try to dribble past the defender to the safety of the other side on the coach's call. If the defending player manages to kick the other players ball out of the area, then that player also becomes a defender. Continue until one attacker remains.

General

Diagonal Toe taps & exterior D...

Set up as shown with cones evenly spaced out.The distance between the cones can be modified depending on your players abilities.Player(s) dribbles through the cones diagonally performing toe taps backwards to get through the cones and then pushing the ball back between the cones with the exterior of their feet.Players should aim to not touch the cones, neither with the ball nor their feet.

General

Cone Sole Roll Dribbling - Foo...

Set up as shown with cones evenly spaced out. The distance between the cones can be modified depending on your players abilities. Player(s) dribbles through the cone performing 1 touch with the sole of the right foot dragging the ball across their body and 1 touch with the sole of the left foot to bring the ball back across to the other side.

General

Football: Drag and Push Pass w...

Get players working in two's coming forward, dragging and pushing the ball before dribbling forward and passing the ball across. This drill builds confidence and will show holes in technique.

General

Football: Dribble and Push For...

Player dribble the ball forwards before dragging it back and pushing it forwards again. The contact with the boot should involve a push rather than tap.

General

Crocodiles Dribbling - Footbal...

3 pairs of players start by holding hands. They are the crocodiles. All other players have 1 ball each. The players dribble around trying to avoid the crocodiles. If a crocodile kicks a players ball out of the area, the player then links hands with the crocodile. Together, they chase other players. Play until 1 player remains.

General

Instep to Instep Dribbling - F...

Player dribbles the ball moving the ball from instep to instep, one touch on each foot.

General

Under The Bridge Agility - Foo...

Players dribble their ball up to the hurdles and then feed the ball under each one until they reach the end of the line. When players reach the end they should dribble the ball back to the end of their queue of players.

General

5 Warm-Up Games That Actually ...

General

Sleeping Giant Dribbling - Foo...

Set up an area as shown with the coach (sleeping giant) in one end surounded by cones (gold coins). The players are at the other end and they have 1 ball each.While the sleeping giant is asleep the players can move towards him/her, as soon as the sleeping giant awakes they have to stop and be still, if they are caught moving the sleeping giant can chase them back to the start.If players get to the sleeping giant they pick up a gold coin and run back to the starting area to store it.

General

Cone Toe Taps Dribbling - Socc...

Set up as shown with cones evenly spaced out. The distance between the cones can be modified depending on your players abilities. Player(s) dribbles through the cones performing toe taps to get through the cones without touching them, neither with the ball nor their feet.

General

Soccer: Drag and Push Pass wit...

Get players working in two's coming forward, dragging and pushing the ball before dribbling forward and passing the ball across. This drill builds confidence and will show holes in technique.

General

Get your call up Dribbling - S...

A fun game for all - all players are numbered (in the animation from 1-4). The coach plays a pass straight down the middle of the two lines of players. As soon as they have made this pass they must call out a number. The players whose number has been called out must sprint to try and win the ball. The player who is first to the ball can then turn and dribble to their side. The team with the most balls at the end of the drill is the winner.

General

Unfortunately there were no results for your search! Please try again

close control SESSIONS

View All

5 fun games for young footballers

Find out how you can use imaginative storyline games to improve your young players' dribbling skills, learning through play.

Running with the ball

Running with the ball can be a lethal skill to have but only when its used at the right times, in the right positions. Develop your players close control and understanding of when to run and when to pass with this session.

1v1 attacking play

Develop players to master a range of tricks and turns, increasing confidence and awareness of when and where to change the direction on play

Running with the ball | Footba...

Running with the ball can be a lethal skill to have but only when its used at the right times, in the right positions. Develop your players close control and understanding of when to run and when to pass with this session.

close control ANSWERS

View All

Futsal drills anyone

Does anyone have any Futsal drills, game related play.Thanks Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

Tony MULCAHY Coach, United Kingdom

Best way to improve alone?

A lot of my mates ainât as committed as me, was wondering if there is much I can do to improve my skills alone? Asked using Sportplan on Mobile

Josh Coach, Jersey

Touch

I am looking for a session or drills that improve players first touch. Our biggest issues are First Touch so we need to work on this, another issue is the 'second ball' we always win the first header but never get to the second ball quick enough so any help with these issuse would be great!

training alone

how can i practice my crossing, passing, dribbling and shooting as a winger

cooper Coach, Australia

SpSsr - Sportplan

what drill is good for coordination in bribbling

millieboulton Coach, England

training alone | Sportplan

how can i practice my crossing, passing, dribbling and shooting as a winger

cooper Coach, Australia

JOIN SPORTPLAN FOR FREE

search our library of 500+ soccer drills
create your own professional coaching plans
or access our tried and tested plans

SIGN UP WITH EMAIL

or

Football

LATEST FROM THE BLOG

Introducing Coaching Trends: Expert Insights Across 9 Sports

Introducing Coaching Trends: Expert Insights Across 9 Sports

Discover our new Coaching Trends section - in-depth articles covering the latest tactics, techniques and innovations across Football, Hockey, Cricket, Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Tennis, Handball and Volleyball.

March 9th, 2026

Banish Your Coaching Nightmares with Sportplan

Banish Your Coaching Nightmares with Sportplan

Save yourself a scare this Halloween and ensure your session runs smoothly. No chaos, no fright, just structure.

October 30th, 2025

The 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour: What To Expect

The 2025 British & Irish Lions Tour: What To Expect

As the Lions tour approaches with their first tour game this Friday against Argentina, we look ahead at what the fans can expect to see from both sides as the tour in Australia approaches...

June 18th, 2025

VISIT THE BLOG TO READ MORE

What our users have been saying...

Coaches from around the world look to Sportplan for coaching confidence.

Excellent site with easy to navigate pages.

Lawrence Hanrahan England

The 'My Stuff' feature is amazing! It's a coach's best friend!

Thomas McArdle United Kingdom

Love the site, it's a fantastic learning tool!

Ian Mckellar America

Wow what a great website, I have found sportplan an important tool for me when planning my netball sessions with my netball team. There are alot of very helpful tips/ideas/skills that I can learn and teach to my team. Thank you sportplan I hope to continue to use your helpful tips and to learn more about improving my teams netball skills. Thanks again....keep it up....

Monique New Zealand

I have been using Sportplan now for 3 years and can honestly say that I have never repeated the same session twice. My girls are always focused and are improving every year. Thanks Sportplan.

Debbie Cross Australia

What a fantastic tool. The Chalkboard and session tools make an unbelievable difference in making training plans in both time and organization. I will be instructing all of my assistant coaches that this tool must be used for all sessions during the season, so that we may build a club coaching resource library.

Wes Campbell Rugby Coach Canada

I can't get enough of the Sportplan, It has given me back the enthusiasm i was starting to lose. My girls are so keen and are ready at 14 to take the next up in their game. Sportplan will help no end.

Cornel Basketball Coach, South Africa

SIGN UP NOW FOR FREE

search our library of 500+ soccer drills
create professional soccer coaching plans
or access our tried and tested soccer plans

SIGN IN WITH EMAIL

or

Football

Sportplan App

Give it a try - it's better in the app

YOUR SESSION IS STARTING SOON... Join the growing community of soccer coaches plus 500+ drills and pro tools to make coaching easy.

LET'S DO IT