Ball Mastery

Turning Gates

Turn out of pressure cleanly

Ball Mastery

Dribbling

Receiving

Premium

Turning Gates is a 12-minute ball mastery drill for 4-18 players, suitable for Under 5 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.

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Ball Mastery

Dribbling

Receiving

Technical Practice

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Full Squad

Minimal Equipment

Foundation Phase

Youth Friendly

Adult Suitable

Duration

12 min

Players

4-18

Pitch size

15 x 15 yards

Ability levels

Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Turning Gates — 6 gates — score by travelling through · 15 x 15 yards

Step 1 of 3Dribble through a gate, turn on the far side, exit through a different gate.

1. Dribble through a gate, turn on the far side, exit through a different gate.
2. Coach names the turn: Cruyff, drag-back, inside hook, outside hook.
3. Count completed gates in ninety seconds.

Cones mark the area
Cone gates to dribble / pass through
Ball
Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

-Turn out of pressure cleanly
-Link a turn to an acceleration
-Choose the right turn for the situation

Setup

1Mark six two-yard gates around a 15 yard square.
2Players start on the outside with a ball.
3Cones in the centre act as reference defenders.

Coaching instructions

1Dribble through a gate, turn on the far side, exit through a different gate.
2Coach names the turn: Cruyff, drag-back, inside hook, outside hook.
3Count completed gates in ninety seconds.

Coaching points

-Disguise the turn with a shift of the shoulders
-Accelerate for three strides after the turn
-Protect the ball with the body through the turn

Common mistakes

-Turning too slowly
-Taking the touch straight back into pressure
-Same turn every repetition

Equipment needed

Balls

Cones

Age groups

Under 5

Under 6

Under 7

Under 8

Under 9

Under 10

Under 11

Under 12

Under 13

Under 14

Under 15

Under 16

Adults

Progressions

+Two-Touch Limit: drop to one touch in the central area
+Weak Foot Only: add a defender to raise the pressure
+Tempo Clock: cut the clock to four seconds
+Add a competitive scoreline for the last round

Regressions

-Two-Touch Limit: allow three touches while the picture is learned
-Weak Foot Only: static, unopposed reps before adding movement
-Tempo Clock: extend the clock to ten seconds
-Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

-Two-Touch Limit — Players are limited to two touches — one to control, one to release.
-Weak Foot Only — Every touch, pass and finish must be with the weaker foot.
-Tempo Clock — The ball must reach the end action inside six seconds or the rep restarts.
-Scan and Cue — The coach shows a colour or number and the receiver must call it before their first touch.
-Shadow Pressure — A shadow defender applies half pressure and can win the ball only after the first touch.
-Score Challenge — Run it as a timed competition — pairs or teams count successful reps and compare scores.
-1-to-1 Session — Run as an individual session: coach serves, one player works through the reps with rest built in.
-Flip the practice to the opposite side of the pitch