Ball Mastery
Turning Gates: Score Challenge
Turn out of pressure cleanly
Ball Mastery
Dribbling
Receiving
Turning Gates: Score Challenge 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.
Back to drill libraryBall Mastery
Dribbling
Receiving
Technical Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Foundation Phase
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Competitive
Fun
Repetition
Duration
12 min
Players
4-18
Pitch size
15 x 15 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Turning Gates: Score Challenge — 6 gates — score by travelling through · 15 x 15 yards
Step 1 of 4Dribble 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.
- 4. Run it as a timed competition — pairs or teams count successful reps and compare scores.
- 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.
- 4Run it as a timed competition — pairs or teams count successful reps and compare scores.
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
- -Keep quality while the score matters
- -Reset quickly between reps to fit more in
Common mistakes
- -Turning too slowly
- -Taking the touch straight back into pressure
- -Same turn every repetition