Dribbling and shielding the ball

1Why this matters

Passing moves the ball quickly, but sometimes no pass is on: every teammate is marked, or there is open space in front of you. Then you must dribble, running with the ball under close control, or shield it, keeping your body between the ball and an opponent until help arrives. On the crowded, bumpy pitches of many school compounds, close control is what keeps the ball yours.

2Dribbling: the basics

• Small, soft touches: keep the ball within about one stride of your feet when opponents are near. In open space, push it further ahead and run onto it.
• Use every surface: the inside, outside and sole of both feet.
• Head up: glance at the ball, then up at the game. Watching only the ball means you miss free teammates and oncoming defenders.
• Change of pace and direction: slow down to draw the defender in, then accelerate past; a sudden change of direction leaves a defender off balance.

3Four moves to beat a defender

1. Inside cut: drag the ball across your body with the inside of the foot and go the other way.
2. Outside cut: push the ball sideways with the outside of the foot and accelerate.
3. Drag-back: put your sole on top of the ball, roll it back towards you, turn and go.
4. Body feint (swerve): dip your shoulder and lean as if going one way, then push the ball the other way with the outside of the other foot.

A move only works if you do it before the defender is close enough to tackle, about 1 to 2 m away, and then accelerate away.

4Shielding (screening) the ball

1. Keep your body between the opponent and the ball, side-on to them.
2. Bend your knees and lower your centre of gravity so you are hard to knock off balance.
3. Keep the ball on the foot farthest from the opponent.
4. Use your arm for balance and to feel where the opponent is, but do not push or hold: that is a foul.
5. Look for a teammate to pass to, or turn away when the opponent overcommits.

5Drills

• Cone slalom: dribble in and out of 6 cones placed 2 m apart and back again, using both feet.
• Traffic: everyone dribbles inside a 15 m square. On the whistle, change direction; on two whistles, stop the ball with the sole. Nobody may touch another player's ball.
• King of the ring: everyone dribbles in the square and tries to knock other balls out while shielding their own. Players who lose their ball do 5 toe-taps outside the square, then return.
• 1 against 1 to a line: the attacker scores by dribbling the ball over the defender's line under control.

Worked example: timing the slalom

In the cone slalom, every cone touched adds a 1-second penalty. Habimana's three runs:

His best is run 2, the slowest on the stopwatch but the only one with full control. When he rushes, the ball gets away from his feet and he touches cones, which in a match means losing the ball. His next target is 14.5 s with no touches: speed that he can control.

Practice

Solution. When no pass is on (every teammate is marked) or when there is open space in front of you to run into.

Solution. To see teammates, space and approaching defenders, so the dribbler can choose the right moment to pass, shoot or change direction.

Solution. The defender can reach round and poke the ball away. She should keep the ball on the foot farthest from the defender, with her body in between.

Solution. Place the sole on top of the ball, roll it back towards you, turn, and move off in a new direction.

Solution. 12.9 + 2 × 1 = 14.9 s.