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Dribble a small patch with tiny touches, then insides only, outsides only, sole pushes and a practice-foot lap.
At a glance
- A ball and a small patch about 4 giant steps across. Your child dribbles round it with tiny touches, the ball glued to the laces.
- Then a lap using only the insides of both feet, and a lap using only the outsides of both feet.
- Sole pushes: roll the ball forward with the sole, walk after it, roll it again. A minute on each foot.
- Finish with a full lap using only the practice foot.
- Progress 1: Head up: now and then you hold up fingers, and your child calls the number without stopping.
- Progress 2: The same, and on your clap they stop the ball dead with the sole, then carry on.
If it's not working: Pick just 3 or 4 moves from the menu.
Full details: set up, how to play, tips
Set up
- Warm up for 5 minutes: jog, then toe taps, sole rolls and side-to-sides.
- Pick a small patch about 4 giant steps across for the dribbling.
Garden, park, indoors.
How to play
- Tiny-touch dribble: your child dribbles in the small patch with the smallest touches they can, ball glued to the laces.
- Inside-only: a lap using only the insides of both feet. 1 minute.
- Outside-only: now only the outsides of both feet. 1 minute.
- Sole pushes: roll the ball forward with the sole, walk after it, roll again. 1 minute each foot.
- Practice-foot lap: a full lap using only the practice foot.
Make it easier
- Pick just 3 or 4 moves from the menu.
Make it harder, step by step
- Head up: now and then you hold up fingers, and your child calls the number without stopping.
- The same, and on your clap they stop the ball dead with the sole, then carry on.
- Figure-8: two markers a few giant steps apart. They dribble a figure-8 round them with close touches.
- Time the figure-8: you time a lap, then they go again, a little quicker, without losing control.
- Roll and push: sole-roll the ball across the body, then push it out with the outside of the other foot.
Three things to say
- In tight spaces the ball stays right under your body.
- Inside, outside, sole.
- Practice foot gets its own lap.
Colts habit
Work hard: little and often beats one long go.
Both feet
Do a round with the practice foot only.
Heads up
Look up between touches.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2016 to 2017
- Tiny-touch dribble 3 minutes. Practice-foot lap 2 minutes.
- 2018 to 2019
- Tiny-touch dribble 2 minutes. Practice-foot lap 1 minute.
Safety: Pick a clear, flat space, look out for traffic and hazards, and stop if anything hurts. Soft ball indoors.
Keeping score: Not counted. Tick the moves they did today.