Figure-Eight Dribble
Dribbling a figure of eight round two cones a stride apart with small touches, both feet, head up: close control in a space a hallway has.
Hear the coach on this drill
Every line the Audio Coach says in this drill, played back to back; the time beside each is when it comes in the 10-minute drill. No account needed.
Set-up
Two cones or a pair of shoes one long stride apart on a clear floor, with a stride of space round the outside of each, one ball, and the parent standing at one end of the eight where the player can see them without turning away. A hallway is enough.
What you need
- 1 soccer ball
- 2 cones or shoes
The ground: 10 × 6 ft (about 3 × 2 m). One child can run it alone in a backyard. The space and equipment check lists every drill that fits the ground you have.
How to run it
- Set up. Two cones or shoes a long stride apart on a clear floor. One ball. Stand at one end where they can see you.
- Walk it. Dribble a figure of eight round the two cones at walking pace, a touch every step, both feet.
- Inside and outside. Round each cone with the outside of the near foot, then across with the inside. Say which foot as you go.
- Head up. Hold up fingers at the end of each eight and ask for the number without stopping.
- Speed up. Thirty seconds as fast as the touches stay small. The ball never further than a boot's length away.
- Count it. One minute counting complete eights. Write the number down and chase it next time.
Coaching points
- Every touch is a nudge, never a push: the ball stays a boot's length away
- Outside of the near foot round the cone, inside of the foot across the middle
- Eyes come up between touches; the fingers test says whether they do
What to watch: Big touches that send the ball wide of the cone, and the head locked down. Small and close is the whole drill.
Common mistakes
- Big touches that send the ball wide of the cone and turn the eight into a chase
- The head locked down on the ball so the fingers go uncounted
- Using only the stronger foot round both cones
- Standing tall with straight legs instead of staying low over the ball
- Speeding up before the touches are small, so the shape of the eight is lost
What good looks like
A good target: 8 complete figure-eights in 60 seconds with the ball never more than a boot's length away.
Progressions and variations
Making it harder
- Level 1: Walk the eight with no counting and no time
- Level 2: Both feet and both surfaces, still at a walk
- Level 3: The fingers test added at the end of every eight
- Level 4: The counted minute, chasing the number
- Level 5: The cones a short stride apart, so every touch is a nudge
- Level 6: Weak foot only for a full minute
Alone, with a sibling, or in a group
- Solo: two shoes and a phone timer, chasing eights in a minute.
- Sibling: two eights side by side, counting against each other, then swapping feet.
- Co-op: a row of eights with a leader calling 'left foot', 'right foot', 'outside only'.
Adjusting it by age
- U14: Cones a long stride apart, a walk first, and the counting done together. A clean eight with the ball close beats a fast one with it loose.
- U18: Shrink the gap, insist on both surfaces of both feet and keep the head-up call going all minute. Follow it with the shadow 1v1 so the control is used under pressure.
For the parent running it
- Stand at the end of the eight and hold up fingers now and then. If they cannot call the number, the touches are too big.
Safety
- Nothing breakable within a ball's roll of the eight; a hallway with doors closed is ideal
More on training safely at home: Safety at Home.
Related drills
Cone Weave Dribble
Set up 5-6 cones in a line (2m apart). Dribble through using small touches with both feet.
1v1 to Mini Goal
Take turns attacking and defending. Attacker tries to dribble past and score in a mini goal.
1v1 Channel
Attacker tries to beat defender in narrow channel to score.
1v1 Continuous Transitions
Attack, and the second the ball is gone you are the defender for the next one.
Run it with the Audio Coach
In Spatrian the Audio Coach talks your player through this drill while they play it, and each run goes on their own training record, which their coach or personal trainer can read and, for a homeschool family, counts as PE time. The beta is opening to a small first group of players and families.