If we have a common liking, you would accept if I say during free soccer drills, the most exciting part is to dribble a soccer ball. One of the basic faults that players make when dribbling a soccer ball is that they focus more on the ball and don't know what is happening around them.

Let me share with you one drill that has been used over and over again in soccer practice to teach young players how to dribble a soccer ball because it is a lot of fun. The players are taught how to seek out for space and utilize it to the maximum.

One of the many challenges for coaches of young soccer players is making them aware of what is happening around them while they've got the ball at their feet.

This drill is commonly used by most coaches to teach their young players to keep their head up while dribbling and the drill is a lot of fun apart from teaching valuable skills.

Apart from making the player to dribble the ball, this drill is much better to other soccer exercises since it allows the player to get a feel of the ball and the space around him which can be used.

1. Begin by marking out a square of about 20 yards by 20 yards (the size of the square will depend upon the number of players, and their age).

2.Give the ball to each half of the players and position them on one side of the square. Attacker is the name provided to this half of the players.

3.To ensure all the places in the square are covered, the other half of the players are asked to spread out. Crab is the name given to these players.

4.The hands are used by the crabs to support themselves after sitting down. To walk around the players are allowed to use their hands and feet only.

Apart from teaching a lot of important tricks these free soccer drills can be a lot of fun.

On the coaches' whistle, each player dribbles the ball to the opposite side and stops the ball on the line opposed to them. The attackers are attacked by "the crabs" and when they do so, the attackers are called the Crab. The game continues until there is only one Attacker left, who becomes the winner.

The Crab learns the importance of teamwork by refusing space to the attackers and tries to take the ball away from them; it's really a win-win situation in soccer coaching.

It's a simple but effective way of teaching the players to dribble with their heads up, cross the defenders, and avoid bumping into each other as they move across the square.

To conclude every player has the ability to be more alert, to react quickly and to run faster. These free soccer drills help achieve better acceleration and decision making speed.

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About the Author

Andre Botelho

Andre Botelho is known online as "The Expert Youth Soccer Coach" and his free Free soccer drills ebooks and reports have been downloaded more than 100,000 times.