Show Us Those Soccer Dribbling Drills & Skills Young Neymar!

soccer dribbling drills

Common now dribble king even you could use some new soccer dribbling drills to add to your routine.

The fact is no matter what level we are at we can all improve our game in so many ways and dribbling players just happens to be the most fun way to do it.

Whether it's Neymar, Mbappe or that guy called Messi every great player should be able to dribble out of tight spaces and take players on in the final third.

Having some basic fundamental soccer dribbling drills that you can do at home everyday is critical to your growth. So before you fall asleep reading this let's get to the good stuff.


Best Soccer Dribbling Drills You Can Do On Your Own


Top 3 Soccer Dribbling Drills You Can Do Outdoors

1. Weave

  • Set up five cones various distances from each other on a diagonal and dribble through them.
  • First start with the outside or your foot then vary the different parts of your foot that you use to dribble around the cones with.


2. Around the Boxes

  • Dribble your ball as close to the 18 and 6 yard boxes to test your control.
  • Literally trace the lines with the ball as you go around each side and see how many times you dribble outside the white lines.
  • After you've done it a few times pick up the pace and see how close to full speed you can get without messing up, anything under 3 errors is impressive!
  • Soccer dribbling drills can be as simple as this one and don't need the fancy cones or parachutes to have a positive impact on your game.


3.  5, 10, 15, 20

  • Lay out some cones 5, 10, 15 and 20 yards apart and dribble to the first cone and back until you get all the way until the end.
  • You should be exhausted by the end of a few sets.
  • Vary the surface of your foot and focus on turning and accelerating quickly form cone to cone.


Top 4 Soccer Dribbling Drills You Can Do At Home


Dribble My Family

If the title of this dribbling game wasn't self explanatory enough let me walk you through it. Dribble around your house and anytime you see a family member perform a move at speed on them.

Step overs, fake shot, rolls and whatever else you can think of as you try and keep the ball while weaving through your family. Oh and don't forget about the dog and cat!! 

What you will find with soccer dribbling drills like this one your family members will actually get annoyed with you and start to try and win the ball.

This is perfect and makes the exercise even more difficult, when you get really good try adding different moves as you try and dribble them. What are brothers, sisters and parents for am I right!?


Eyes Closed Obstacle

That's right your house is already set up as an obstacle course for you, now all you have to do is close your eyes and try not to run into any sharp corners!

Start off slow so you mom doesn't have a heart attack but I used to do this as a kid and it worked out brilliantly to help my touch and spatial awareness (not so much for my mom's lamps).

Basically you get the ball at your feet and slowly try and keep the ball under control while you move around your home. I would suggest you start by keeping the ball between both of your feet as you shuffle the ball and yourself around your place.

When you get more comfortable you can start using the balls of your feet and the outside of a foot once you've got the hang of it.

Like any great point guard in basketball it will help you keep your head up and worry less about the ball and more about what is out in front of you. Soccer dribbling drills don't need to be fancy, just effective like this one.


Left Only

Yes that's right (or left should I say) for the entire day you must do everything with the ball with only your left leg/foot. Pass, dribble, roll, turn, meg you name it, today is all about the ugly step brother that lives under the stairs, the left foot! 

Oh if you're left foot dominant then due this with only your right all day. You may think at first that it's pretty simple and straight forward but as the day goes on you will see how mentally challenging it can be.

By the end of the day you're going to see how much better you've gotten by only using your non dominant foot in just one day! Imagine what you could do if you dedicated more time to it.


Megs Are On!

How many people, chair legs, table legs, pair of shoes or anything else can you meg in 30 seconds! That's right this game can be played inside your home and what you're trying to do is meg as many people and things as you possibly can.

Humans work best but dogs, cats, chairs and tables will do as well as you try and nutmeg each everything in your house with legs. I'm sure there are other things I'm missing but try and roll the ball under and through anything in your house.

This game is not only fun but teaches you ball control, misdirection and creativity all at the same time.

For some more great soccer dribbling drills have a look at this link on CoachTube.


Top 5 Technical Tips To Remember About Soccer Dribbling Drills


1. Low Athletic Stance

  • Dribbling doesn't happen while you're standing up straight for a variety of reasons so get nice and low with your knees bent.
  • You want to be able to turn or accelerate in a moments notice so don't waste anytime getting into a low sprinting stance.
  • Staying low allows you to move, pivot and react so stay low and mobile at all times.


2. Vary The Length Of The Touches

  • What a defender wants is to be able to anticipate when to jump in and put a tackle in and when your touches are the same length and predictable it makes it easy for them.
  • Depending on how much ground you're covering look to vary the touches while still maintaining control.
  • It's all about deceiving the defender and mixing up your touch length, speed and angle will make their life difficult.


3. Head Up

  • Just like a good point guard in basketball scans the field as the dribble you too should be trying to keep your head up as much as possible.
  • You can still look forward and keep an eye on the ball at the same time when you get ready good at dribbling.
  • Your success at dribbling players can largely depend on how quickly you can read what's coming at you so keep your head up as you dribble.
  • All soccer dribbling drills will become so much easier for you if you can remember this one key point.


4. Keep It Close

  • Do your best to keep the ball as close to between your legs as possible as you bob and weave your way up the field.
  • The closer the ball is to your feet the quicker you can change direction, manipulate the ball with any part of your foot or get into a low stance and shield the ball if you need to.


5. Use Your Arms

  • Wait my arms? Yes all great dribblers use their arms for various reasons while dribbling.
  • The first is to hold off defenders should they try and body you off the ball, keeping your elbows out and forearms up will help you feel danger before it comes.
  • The second reason is balance, keeping your arms tightly by your side against your body will make you easy to be knocked off the ball so keep a low stance with your arms out.
  • Lastly use your hands to push off and feel for defenders in and around you.


Top 3 Things To Remember About Soccer Dribbling Drills


1. At Speed!

  • No dribble is worth anything at a snails pace.
  • You won't fool anybody but yourself with all your fancy tricks and fakes when you're not doing them as fast as you can.
  • No defender will fall for it and you won't accomplish much besides annoying your teammates, when dribbling, dribble at top speed Bolt!!


2. Challenge Yourself

  • If you're getting top good at these soccer dribbling drills then that is the perfect time for you to kick it up a notch.
  • Try your non-dominant foot, then go faster, then try and keep your head up the whole time and then try all three at the same time!!
  • Never stay in the same spot, always keep pushing yourself.


3. Both Feet

  • You may think that Messi is just one foot dominant but believe me he can do it all with both feet.
  • You'll have the defenders in knots if you can clever dribbling with both feet equally.


Top 5 Things To Avoid About Soccer Dribbling Drills


1. Not Challenging Yourself

  • We all like to look good and want to keep doing things we know we are good at but we also have to learn to push ourselves.
  • It's fine to keep working on the things you're good at when it comes to dribbling but don't be afraid to step outside your comfort zone. 


2. Over Dribbling

  • I know you want to test out your knew skills on the pitch but remember all the fundamentals of the game are to be used at the right time and in the right amounts.
  • Nobody loves a teammate that only has dribbling on their mind as soon as they touch the ball, share the ball and dribble only when it's on.


3. No Opposition

  • Soccer dribbling drills with cones and a ball are great but as much as you can look to add a defender to really challenge yourself.
  • Whether it's a friend in the park or a teammate before or after training try your new moves while a defender is trying to hunt you down just like in the game.



Do I Need To Be Able To Dribble With Both Feet? Messi Doesn't!

Of course you do you know that! You may think that Messi only dribbles with his left foot but if you look closely when he's running at speed or in other tight spaces he uses his right quite a bit.

The reason you think he only uses his left because the last touch before he strikes it with his left is usually a cut outside onto his dominant foot and that's all you remember.

The truth is Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar you name it can dribble at a master level with both feet so if they've worked on it so should you!


Do All Positions On The Field Need To Know How To Dribble?

Absolutely. Of course each position in soccer has different requirements in the fundamentals of soccer (passing, dribbling, defending etc.) every player on the pitch needs to have this in their arsenal. Yes even the goalie!!

Dribbling is a fundamental skill in soccer that no matter where you play on the pitch you want to be good at it. Defenders and the keeper need to be able to dribble out of trouble every once in a while too so these soccer dribbling drills are absolutely for everyone.


What Part Of The Field Should I Be Dribbling In?

Well it of course depends but as a general rule dribbling should be reserved for the attacking third of the field. When you have the defender lined up 1 on1 and all that is behind them is the keeper and the goal, this is when you have the green light to dribble!

Make a quick change of direction, see what the defender is giving you then try your favourite move to get by them. Do it with confidence and at speed and you cant go wrong.


How Do I Make These Soccer Dribbling Drills More Challenging?

Level 1 - Slow Looking At Ball

Level 2 - Medium Speed Looking At Ball

Level 3 - Fast Speed Looking At Ball

Level 4 - Slow Speed Looking Forward

Level 5 - Medium Speed Looking Forward

Level 6 - Fast Speed Looking Forward

Level 7 - Slow Speed Eyes Closed

Level 8 - Medium Speed Eyes Closed

Level 9 - Fast Speed Eyes Closed


That's how.


How Do Pro's Make Dribbling Looks So Easy?

You already know this answer but I will say it anyway, practice! Not just practice but intense, intentional and practice at full speed!

When you're watching the pro's like Neymar, Messi and Mbappe dribble effortlessly around the pitch you have to realize the countless hours and dedication that has gone into their game to make it look so easy.

They all started out just like you taking a ball to a local field and working on their craft, now the questions is how hard are you willing to work to make your dreams come true?