Ball Mastery
Underload Sole Roll Grid
Build sole and inside-foot control in a busy space
Ball Mastery
Dribbling
First Touch
Underload Sole Roll Grid is a 12-minute ball mastery drill for 2-20 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryBall Mastery
Dribbling
First Touch
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Underload
Duration
12 min
Players
2-20
Pitch size
16 x 16 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Objectives
- -Build sole and inside-foot control in a busy space
- -Grow confidence manipulating the ball with both feet
- -Turn ball mastery reps into usable game actions
Setup
- 1A grid of cones two yards apart in a 16 x 16 yards area.
- 2Add one extra defender to the working area and mark their start position with a flat cone.
- 3One ball per player, spare balls on the coach's cone.
Coaching instructions
- 1Players work through sole rolls, drag-backs and toe taps between the cones.
- 2On the coach's call they perform the move and accelerate into free space.
- 3Repeat with the weaker foot leading every second round.
- 4The attacking group starts a player short, so every entry pass has to be sharp.
- 5Defenders score a point for every clean turnover; attackers need three clean end actions to win the round.
Coaching points
- -Light, quick contacts on top of the ball
- -Head up between touches
- -Both feet used equally
- -Protect the ball and wait for the second runner rather than forcing it
Common mistakes
- -Heavy touches that push the ball away
- -Eyes locked on the ball
- -Trying to beat two players instead of releasing early
Where this drill fits
- More football ball mastery drills
- More football dribbling drills
- More football first touch drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme