Soccer Dribbling Drill: Dueling Lines

Equipment needed:

• One soccer ball
• Approx 10-15 cones

Soccer Dribbling Dueling Lines Drill: Set-up

• Set up a line of cones approx 20-25 yards long
• Use a few different color cones/markers to create 3 ‘gates’ in the line: 1 in the middle and 1 at each end
• One dribbling player starts with the ball on one side of the line
• One defending player starts on the other side of the line

Soccer Dribbling Dueling Lines Drill: Execution

• The aim of the drill is for the dribbling player to dribble the ball through one of the 3 gates
• The defensive player must try and tackle them at any of the gates
• The dribbling player must move left and right with the ball to try and create space at one of the gates, where they can then try and dribble through
• The drill runs for 1 minute or until the dribbling player dribbles through the gate
• The players then reverse their roles

Coaching tips:

• Encourage the dribbling player to use both feet to shift the ball left and right
• Encourage the dribbling player to try different tricks and skills to create space
• Encourage the defending player to stay low to the ground so they can turn quickly

Progressions & variations

• Create more or fewer gates in the line, to make it easier or more difficult for the dribbling player, respectively
• Make the gates smaller or wider to make the drill easier or harder for the dribbling player, respectively
• Dribbling player has to pass the ball through the gates when they get near to them, instead of dribbling through them
• Place 1 ball at each gate (3 balls total); the dribbling player starts without a ball and must feint and move to try and run to one of the gates to dribble the ball through