Coaching tools › Activities › Dribbling and 1v1
Free activity · Intramural curriculum, ages 4–81v1 Fields
Two small 1v1 fields side by side with pug or cone goals, one line attacking and one defending on each, with the coach standing between them. Small fields mean short lines and lots of turns.
Setup
Build two small 1v1 fields side by side, each half the usual size, with pug goals or cone goals. On each field one line attacks and one line defends. Stand between the fields so you can see both games. Small fields mean short lines and lots of turns. The defender starts a few steps behind the attacker. Switch lines every 2 to 3 minutes.
- Head up to find space.
- Beat the defender, then speed away.
Make it easier or harder
- Easier: Coach plays defender, and a gentle one.
- Harder: Attacker and defender start side by side.
Coach’s notes
- If It's Chaos: Lines getting long? Add a third field, or start the next pair the moment the ball is dead.
- Coach Tip: Praise every attempt at a move, even the ones that fail.
Why it works
Lines are where young players lose interest, so this activity is built around not having them: two tiny fields, a defender who starts a few steps behind, and a new pair the moment the ball is dead.
Praise every attempt at a move, including the ones that fail. At this age the willingness to try a move is the skill.
Where it sits
This activity is from Pre-K · Week 3 · Space & 1v1 in the Full Season Intramural Curriculum for Pre-K to 2nd grade. Every session in the book has the same shape: arrival play, Soccer Island, two or three activities and the game, with two coaching points a day, an easier and a harder version of everything, and a fix for when it turns to chaos.
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The Full Season Intramural Curriculum covers Pre-K, Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade: one page per session, nothing to memorize, built so a professional trainer and a parent who volunteered last week run the same quality session. 112 animated videos included.