Free Soccer Drills - Use Flag Football to Create Awareness While Dribbling

Shielding the ball while knowing where players are around you is an important skill to learn as players develop. This drill will teach both shielding and awareness as players will need to keep their head up while they move around so they know where other players are.  

Preparation and equipment:

cones to mark off an area
flags or socks for each player
ball for each player

Execution:

Mark of an area with cones; area can be whatever shape desired, but generally people use squares. The area should be large enough to move around and can be reduced in size depending on the skill level of the players. Each player needs to have a flag that can be removed attached to their waist or shorts. Some coaches have used old socks stuffed in the backs of shorts that hang out like a tail. Players will start to dribble the ball around on the coach's whistle. As the players dribble, they will attempt to pull the flag off the other players. Once the flag is pulled, the player whose flag was removed must step out of the area. If a player loses control of the ball and it goes outside the area, they must also step out of the area. As you get fewer players, you can make the area smaller to speed up the game. Play continues until you are down to two players at which point it becomes very difficult for one player to win.

This drill teaches shielding and dribbling, while the player must maintain awareness of their surroundings. This drill is more of an intermediate drill better suited for players that know the basics of soccer and have a solid skill foundation.   This drill can be used early in practice as part of the warm-up, but should be part of a regular plan designed to get players used to being aware of surroundings while on the ball.

For more information on drills and games used to bring your players to the next level, checkout the soccer coaches resource center. In the resource center you will find articles, books, DVD's, coaching supplies, coaches gifts, and reviews of the top coaching resources on the market. The site was designed as a one stop shop, and will provide a better idea of the types of products available to make your coaching experience successful. If you are new to coaching or want to see some of the products that could take your coaching to the next level, please check out the youth coaches resource center.

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