Three Zone Breakout: A 1v1 Dribbling Game for U6 to U12

How to set it up

• Mark an area 10 metres wide and 12 metres long, divided into three zones 4 metres deep. Leave space behind each end line to start and finish.
• Groups of six: three attackers, each with a ball, behind the start line, and one defender in each zone.
• Defenders can only move inside their own zone.

How to play

• Round one: one attacker at a time dribbles through the three zones. Each zone crossed without losing the ball scores a point. Lose it, and go back to the start.
• After one minute, attackers and defenders swap.
• Round two: all three attackers go at once. An attacker who loses the ball is out; the ones who reach the far end line score.
• An attacker who makes it can turn straight round and attack the zones the other way.

Why it works

Three 1v1s in a row, each with a fresh defender, is a lot of practice in a small space. And the zones make the defender predictable enough for younger players: you know who you have to beat next.

In round two the attackers can work together. One goes first to pull a defender across, and the next uses the space that leaves.

What to coach

• Look up at the next defender while you are still in the zone before.
• Change speed: slow down to draw the defender in, then accelerate past.
• Use a feint or a change of direction to send the defender the wrong way.
• In round two, talk: who goes first, and which side?

Questions to ask

• "Where was the space in the zone you got through?"
• "When did you speed up?"
• "In round two, how did your teammates help you get through?"

Make it easier, make it harder

• Easier: defenders start on their back line and only move when the attacker enters their zone; wider zones.
• Harder: defenders can move freely inside their zone from the start; a time limit of eight seconds for all three attackers; narrower zones.

How to adapt it by age

• U6 to U7: run the game without a ball first, as a tag game, then with the ball.
• U8 to U10: round one and round two as written.
• U11 to U12: the time limit, and a defender who wins the ball can score by dribbling it over the start line.