Coaching tools › Activities › Dribbling and 1v1

Gates Game

By Gabe Ramos · U.S. Soccer Coach Educator · Updated October 2026

Two teams of three with two balls in play and small gates around the area. Score by dribbling through any gate past a defender. No ball? Defend, or get open to support a teammate. Dribbling gates with opponents in it.

Setup

Two teams of three with two balls in play and small gates around the area. Score by dribbling through any gate past a defender. No ball? Defend, or get open to support a teammate.

Make it easier or harder

• Easier: Play it 1v1: beat your partner through any gate.
• Harder: Never the same gate twice in a row.

Coach’s notes

• If It's Chaos: Too crowded? Play 2v2 with one ball.

Why it works

Two balls at once is the secret. With only one ball, four of the six players are waiting; with two, everybody is either attacking a gate, defending one, or getting open, which is the whole game in miniature.

If it gets too crowded, drop to 2v2 with one ball. The rule about never the same gate twice keeps the dribbling honest.

Where it sits

This activity is from 2nd Grade · Week 2 · Dribbling Gates 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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