Moves on the move: link them at speed
Transcript
Take your ball mastery moves on the move, and link them at speed. Here's how. Warm up first. You need a ball and six cones on flat grass, never a road. Mark a lane ten metres long and two metres wide, with two cones at halfway. Watch. Sole rolls to halfway, Tick-tock to the end, then go. First, switch moves at the halfway cones without slowing down. Then, push it past the end cones and sprint after it. Not this. A touch that rolls out of the lane. Our target is six runs, walking back with a new move. Then take the free test at footballreach.com.
What it trains
Ball mastery on the move: link two moves as you travel down a lane at a good tempo, then push the ball out and sprint after it. FIFA's ball-mastery practice asks players to keep their heads up and eyes forward while they dribble.
Set up
- A ball
- 6 cones on flat grass
- A lane 10 m long
- 2 m wide
How it works
- Mark a lane 10 m long and 2 m wide with 4 cones on flat grass, and put 2 more cones at halfway. Leave at least 5 m clear past the end. Use a size 4 ball at U12-U13 and a size 5 from U14.
- From the start, travel forward with sole rolls: roll the ball across in front of you with one sole, then the other, stepping forward each time.
- At the halfway cones, switch to tick-tock without stopping: small touches between the insides of your feet as you keep travelling.
- At the end cones, push the ball out ahead of you, sprint after it and stop it.
- Walk back down the lane with a new move (pull-push, or inside-outside touches) to recover. That is one run. Do 6 runs (about 5 minutes) and change the moves and your leading foot each run.
Coaching points
- Switch without slowing. Change from sole rolls to tick-tock as you pass the halfway cones, without stopping or slowing down. Lift your eyes between touches to find the next cones: FIFA asks for heads up and eyes forward while dribbling.
- Push it out and sprint. After your last touch, push the ball a few metres past the end cones and sprint after it, then stop it. The FA's dribbling channels work on accelerating and decelerating with the ball.
Not this
A touch that rolls out of the lane, usually a sole roll that goes too wide or a tick-tock that gets bigger as you speed up. Small touches keep the ball in the lane.
Dose
- Our target: 6 runs
- Walk back with a new move
Our target: 6 runs in about 5 minutes, the 10 x 2 m lane and the halfway switch are our own choices, not FA or FIFA rules.
Harder / Easier
Harder
Race a timer while every touch stays in the lane: a ball out of the lane costs a second. Or ask a partner at the far end to hold up some fingers, and call the number before you reach the end cones.
Easier
Walk the lane with each move and stop the ball at halfway before you start the second move. Build up to a jog once every touch stays in the lane.
Safety
- Warm up first: the sprint out at the end is a hard effort.
- Flat, dry grass with the lane clear at both ends and at least 5 m of space past the end cones, never a road or a driveway.
- The ball can roll under your foot during sole rolls, so build the speed up slowly. If anything hurts, stop.
Sources
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.
Take the free test
