A worked practice for your team
Change dribble touch length with the space
Make a slightly longer travelling touch in clear space, then shorten the touches before entering a tighter section.
ZIP includes the printable coach card, all three SVG diagrams, timeline and practice data. Extract the folder before opening the card.
Check the problem
The child takes the same large touch everywhere and chases into the next section, or uses tiny touches even through an empty runway. Give the travelling touch and the close-control touch different jobs without making speed the score.
Set up the space and roles
Mark two 6 × 14 m rectangles with eight cones each: four corners and two across each internal change line. The first and last 4 m are close-control zones; the middle 6 m is a runway. Keep a 4 m gap and a 2 m outer buffer: the full clear footprint is 20 × 18 m. Pairs 1/2 and 3/4 share one ball each. The carrier uses the central 2 m lane; the observer walks along a side, at least 2 m away.
Keep the rotation clear
Players 1 and 3 carry first in rounds one and three; 2 and 4 start round two. Exchange after every journey, including an unsuccessful one. Each observer walks a separate side route and never becomes a moving obstacle.
See the practice in three steps
Schematic views, not to scale. Player numbers match the roles below. Dark arrows show passes, dashed green arrows show movement and solid green arrows show carries. Use the written dimensions when marking your area.
1. One pair and three touch zones
2. Lengthen, then shorten
3. A close-control middle journey
Your complete 30-minute plan
Briefing, planned role changes, water and reflection are included. Add rest or stop when needed; shorten active play rather than rushing a transition.
00:00–03:00 · 3 min
Check, explain and walk the layout
Walk the route together. Demonstrate several comfortable close touches, one slightly longer touch into the empty runway, then smaller touches before the final zone. The ball should stay within easy reach. Check the ground and confirm that both side routes and buffers are clear.
03:00–08:00 · 5 min
Prepare the movement
Use gentle close touches throughout first. Finish by stopping inside the far zone, then exchange the ball and roles. The next carrier travels back along the same clear route. The observer notices when the ball gets beyond a comfortable next step. Reset an escaped ball only after that pair has stopped; the adult retrieves anything outside the buffer. Stop both stations if a ball enters their shared gap.
08:00–17:00 · 9 min
Focused practice and role changes
Run three rounds of 2 minutes 40 seconds, each followed by 20 seconds of rest. Swap carrier and observer after every journey. Try a longer travelling touch only in the middle, then shorten before the next line. Count one shared point when both transitions happen while the ball stays reachable. A miss resets that journey without a penalty or extra run. Ask the observer to name the change they actually saw.
17:00–19:00 · 2 min
Water and reset
Stop every ball, offer water and rest, and check the same station and its clear buffers. Walk to the next roles while the ball remains still. Extra rest takes priority; shorten the next playing block if needed.
19:00–28:00 · 9 min
Use the choice in a game
Keep both separate stations for three rounds of 2 minutes 40 seconds plus 20-second pauses. Before each departure, the observer chooses a close-control middle or an open runway and announces it. They stay on the side throughout. A pair earns one point for matching touches to that journey and stopping inside the far zone. No point depends on speed. Swap after each journey; after a ball out, stop and restart from the nearest end with the same carrier.
28:00–30:00 · 2 min
Reflect and choose the next step
Ask where a longer touch helped and where it made control harder. If the child chases, repeat at walking pace with a smaller travelling touch.
Watch for a useful change
- Travelling touches stay within a manageable next step.
- Touches shorten before the close-control section.
- Carrier changes touch length without chasing into the side route.
Make it easier
Use close touches throughout and ask for just one slightly longer middle touch. Walk and retain all buffers.
When ready
Let the observer choose a different middle-zone instruction before each departure. Keep the instruction fixed during the journey.
Ask where a longer touch helped and where it made control harder. If the child chases, repeat at walking pace with a smaller travelling touch.
If conditions change
Stop active play when the surface, weather or available clear space is unsuitable. Use an indoor area only if it can hold the full written footprint and buffers. Otherwise keep the ball still, walk through the roles without pressure, and reschedule the live game. Extra rest takes priority over finishing the timetable.
Need a different group size or duration?
The worked example above uses the stated numbers. The related complete session has its own checked customizer, maps and rotations.
Open Find the SpaceCoaching principles and further reading
Dribbling practice can connect comfortable movement speed with ball control and awareness of nearby players.
Sources reviewed for this practice on 25 October 2026. Session Pitch created this worked example, timing, role instructions and diagrams; it is not a reproduction of the linked sessions. No FA or FIFA endorsement is implied. Live coaching effectiveness has not been evaluated.