Equipment needed:

• 4 soccer balls
• approximately 8 cones

Dribbling drill square & square set-up:

• Mark out a square with cones/markers approx 15 x 15 yards
• Mark out a smaller square approx 2 x 2 yards in the middle of the big square
• Start with a minimum of 2 players at each of the outside cones
• The first player at each cone have a ball at their feet

Dribbling drill square & square execution:

• Each player with a ball dribbles through the middle square and turns back out to the next player at the cone to their right (or left – coach to stipulate); they pass the ball to the next player
• The player receiving the ball then performs the same drill
• Instead of dribbling through the middle square, players can work on performing a specific turn in the square such as the following:
  • Outside hook
  • Inside hook
  • Cruyff turn

Coaching tips:

• Encourage players to keep their heads up when dribbling, particularly when passing through the middle square to avoid clashing with other dribbling players
• Encourage players to keep the ball close to their body while dribbling
• Coach the quality and execution of the individual turns to enable the players to change direction with the ball quickly

Progressions:

• Change direction of play (left to right or right to left) to encourage players to use the different feel for the turns
• Stipulate right or left foot only

Variations:

• Players pass the ball after they have left the inner circle rather than dribble up to the next player
• Players dribble around the cone back to the same corner of the large square that they started at