Tackling
Rotation Side-On Duel
Win the ball while running alongside an attacker
Tackling
Defending
Speed & Agility
Rotation Side-On Duel is a 16-minute tackling drill for 4-16 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, mini goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryTackling
Defending
Speed & Agility
Skill Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Rotation
Duration
16 min
Players
4-16
Pitch size
20 x 10 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Rotation Side-On Duel — 1v1 channel — beat your player and cross the line · 20 x 10 yards
Step 1 of 5Attacker and defender start side by side and race for a served ball.
- 1. Attacker and defender start side by side and race for a served ball.
- 2. The defender must get a shoulder in front and win possession legally.
- 3. Roles swap on every rep.
- 4. Play starts at station one and the ball works round the numbers in order.
- 5. Every player must complete each role once before the round is scored.
- Cones mark the area
- Dashed lines = scoring lines
- Ball
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Blue = attacker, dark = defender, queues outside the channel
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Win the ball while running alongside an attacker
- -Use the body legally to gain the inside line
- -Choose the moment to commit
Setup
- 1A narrow channel with a mini goal at the far end in a 20 x 10 yards area.
- 2Number every station so players know exactly where they travel to next.
- 3Balls at the start line, bibs for defenders.
Coaching instructions
- 1Attacker and defender start side by side and race for a served ball.
- 2The defender must get a shoulder in front and win possession legally.
- 3Roles swap on every rep.
- 4Play starts at station one and the ball works round the numbers in order.
- 5Every player must complete each role once before the round is scored.
Coaching points
- -Shoulder to shoulder, not arms out
- -Get the front foot across
- -Win the ball, then protect it
- -Follow your pass — the movement is part of the practice
Common mistakes
- -Pulling or holding the attacker
- -Diving in from behind
- -Staying in a favourite role and avoiding the harder one
Where this drill fits
- More football tackling drills
- More football defending drills
- More football speed & agility drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme