Choose your gate: 1v1 decisions
Transcript
In a 1v1, find the gate the defender leaves open. Here's the game. You need a partner to defend, a ball, and a box ten metres by twelve, with a cone gate in each far corner. Watch. Dribble at them, head up. First, look up early and see which gate they block. Then, if they block late, go where they are not. Not this. Head down, you run into them. Our target is four rounds of four goes. Swap roles each round. Defend on your feet, no sliding. After any knock to the head, if in doubt, sit them out. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
A 1v1 decision: dribble with your head up, see which gate the defender blocks and go through the one they leave open. England Football coaches players to spot the defender and the gaps; in FIFA's two-gate 1v1 the ball carrier decides.
Set up
- A partner to defend
- A ball
- 10 x 12 m box
- 6 cones, 2 m gates
How it works
- Warm up first. On flat grass, mark a box 10 m wide and 12 m long with 6 cones: a 2 m gate in each corner at the far end, and a cone at each end of the start line.
- You start on the start line with the ball. Your partner starts in the middle of the box, 6 m away, facing you.
- Dribble at them with your head up. They move to block one gate, early or late. Dribble through the gate they leave open.
- In this version they only block: no tackles. Walk back and go again, and swap roles after 4 goes.
Coaching points
- Look up early. Look up from your first touch and watch the defender, not the ball. As soon as they step towards one gate, decide and dribble for the other one, early, while you still have room.
- Go where they are not. If they wait and block late, keep your head up and the ball moving. When they step across, change direction and go the way they are not, through the open gate.
Not this
Dribbling with your head down. You only see the defender when you reach them, so you run the ball into them or towards the gate they are blocking.
Dose
- 4 rounds of 4 goes
- Swap roles each round
Our target: 4 rounds of 4 goes, swapping roles after each round, about 10 minutes (the age-ladder dose, our target, not an FA rule).
Harder / Easier
Harder
The defender may tackle, fairly and on their feet, with no sliding. Or they wait longer before choosing a gate, so you read it later and closer.
Easier
The defender moves to one gate early and slowly, so the open gate is easy to see. Make them choose later as you improve.
Safety
- If in doubt, sit them out: anyone with a suspected concussion stops straight away, does no training for at least 24 hours and plays no matches for at least 21 days (UK concussion guidelines).
- Defenders stay on their feet: no slide tackles, no pushing, and keep the ball on the ground.
- Flat grass with space all round, never a road or driveway.
- Under 16: if your knees or heels hurt when you run, stop and tell an adult; a GP or physio can help.
Sources
- England Football Learning - dribbling session: getting past opponents (opens in a new tab)
- England Football Learning - dribbling session: stay on the ball (opens in a new tab)
- England Football Learning - top tips for dribbling (head up and scan) (opens in a new tab)
- FIFA Training Centre - 1v1 with two gates: the ball carrier decides (opens in a new tab)
- England Football - UK concussion guidelines for grassroots sport (opens in a new tab)
- The FA Boot Room - growth and the physical corner (opens in a new tab)
Not sure which skill to work on first? The free Football Reach test gives you a Player Development Score and shows which of the four corners of your game to work on next, in about two minutes.
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