Dribbling
Shielding & Turning Under Pressure
Protect the ball with the body
Dribbling
Ball Mastery
First Touch
Shielding & Turning Under Pressure is a 15-minute dribbling drill for 4-16 players, suitable for Under 8 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryDribbling
Ball Mastery
First Touch
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Ball Retention
Duels
Duration
15 min
Players
4-16
Pitch size
18 x 18 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Shielding & Turning Under Pressure — Circle — pass around and through · 18 x 18 yards
Step 1 of 4Attacker keeps the ball for 20 seconds against a half-pressure defender.
- 1. Attacker keeps the ball for 20 seconds against a half-pressure defender.
- 2. On the whistle turn away and change direction.
- 3. Swap roles each round, four rounds each.
- 4. Rotation: Swap roles each round, four rounds each.
- Ball
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Circle organisation — players on the outside
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Protect the ball with the body
- -Turn away from contact
- -Stay calm in tight areas
Setup
- 1Circle marked with cones.
- 2Pairs inside: one ball between two.
- 3Coach in the middle to call the changes.
Coaching instructions
- 1Attacker keeps the ball for 20 seconds against a half-pressure defender.
- 2On the whistle turn away and change direction.
- 3Swap roles each round, four rounds each.
Coaching points
- -Body between defender and ball at all times
- -Far foot on the ball, arm to feel the defender
- -Low centre of gravity
- -Turn sharply and accelerate away
Common mistakes
- -Standing tall and getting bumped off
- -Ball on the near foot within the defender's reach
- -Turning into the defender