U6 soccer practice plan: dribbling
A 45-minute dribbling practice for 5 and 6 year olds. Every game has a ball for every child, and each one asks for a little more: keep it close, get away from a chaser, find a gap.
Soccer is called football in most of the world. This guide is part of Futbol Island’s free football lessons for kids aged 7 to 12.
At a glance
| Detail | This plan |
|---|---|
| Age group | U6 (ages 5 and 6) |
| Length | 45 minutes (guidance for U6: 45 minutes) |
| Players | 6 to 12 |
| Goal for the day | Keep the ball close and go where the space is |
| Final game | 4v4 with no goalkeepers, on about 30 x 20 yards |
The 45-minute plan
| Time | Activity | Stage | What it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:06 | 2v2 games as children arrive | Play | Small fields with cone goals. Add each child to a game as they arrive. |
| 0:06 to 0:13 | Dribble tag | Practice | Dribbling with eyes up to see the tagger. |
| 0:13 to 0:15 | Water break | Break | Drink. |
| 0:15 to 0:24 | Sharks and Minnows | Practice | Dribbling past a defender. The coach is the first shark. |
| 0:24 to 0:31 | Gates dribbling | Practice | Finding an open “door” and dribbling through it. |
| 0:31 to 0:33 | Water break | Break | Drink. “Where was the best place to dribble?” |
| 0:33 to 0:43 | 3v3 game | Play | Let them play. Cheer every time a child dribbles into space. |
| 0:43 to 0:45 | Team cheer | Finish | One thing each child did well today. |
Times are minutes from the start of practice. Tap an activity for its setup diagram and coaching points.
Equipment
- A ball for every player
- About 20 cones
- Bibs in two colors
- A water bottle for every player
- A first aid kit and a ball pump
- 2 bibs for the taggers
- 4 small goals, or 8 extra cones
Coach notes
- Use the same three words all day: “ball close” and “space”.
- In Sharks and Minnows, a caught minnow does five toe taps and becomes a shark. Nobody watches.
- If one child dominates, make them your helper shark with a special rule, such as walking only.
If it is going badly
Gates dribbling is too calm and the group is restless.
Turn it into Pirates and Treasure: same area, balls in the middle, dribble them home through any gate.
Give water breaks more often in hot weather, never use running as a punishment, and change the size of any area that is too hard or too easy.
How this plan is built
These plans follow the Play-Practice-Play structure that U.S. Soccer teaches grassroots coaches: players arrive and play small games, then practice the day’s idea in game-like activities, then finish with a game. The structure is U.S. Soccer’s; the minutes for each part are ours, so adjust them to your group.
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Drills in this plan
- Dribble tagIt warms players up while training dribbling with the head up and quick changes of direction. U6 to U10.
- Sharks and MinnowsIt trains dribbling under pressure: keeping the ball close, changing direction and using open space. U6 to U10.
- Gates dribblingIt trains dribbling with the head up, because players must look for a gate that is open. U6 to U10.
- 3v3 small-sided gameIt trains everything at once, dribbling, passing, shooting and defending, and gives each child far more time on the ball than a big game. U6 to U10.
Questions about this U6 practice
What dribbling drills work for 5-year-olds?
Games with chasing and a story: dribble tag, Sharks and Minnows and gates you can call doors or tunnels. Keep each one under ten minutes.
Should U6 players do cone drills?
Rarely. A short weave as a race is fine, but games teach the same touches and hold attention far better.
Why start with 2v2 games?
It is the first “play” of U.S. Soccer’s Play-Practice-Play structure: children arrive and play at once, and nobody waits for practice to start.
Lessons to share with your players
Keep reading
- U6 soccer practice plan: first practice of the season45 minutes: meet the ball, meet each other
- U6 soccer practice plan: kicking and shooting45 minutes: kick with the laces and score
- U6 soccer drills: fun games for 5 and 6 year oldsNine games for 5 and 6 year olds, a ball each, with what to avoid
- Soccer age groups explainedWhat U6, U8, U10 and U12 mean
- Winger in soccerThe wide attacker who takes players on
- All soccer practice plans12 ready-to-use soccer practice plans for U6, U8, U10 and U12, each with a clock table, equipment list and linked drills
- All soccer drills for kids46 soccer drills and practice games for U6 to U12, each with a setup diagram, coaching points and the lesson it trains
Futbol Island is a free football (soccer) learning game for kids aged 7 to 12. Every idea on this page is taught on a pitch with moving players, then checked with a quick quiz.