Carnmoney Colts Academy badgeCarnmoney ColtsAcademy Join

Practice games

Dribbler and Bouncer

Garden game for keeping the ball moving and dodging while a grown-up tries to hit it.

At home 6 min 2 players Garden With a grown-up With brothers, sisters or friends 2016 to 2021

Me and My Ball Be brave

At a glance

  • Mark a 6 m square with shoes or cones. Your child dribbles inside it. You stay in one corner with a soft ball.
  • Roll the soft ball along the ground at your child's football. Your child keeps it moving and dodges.
  • Count the seconds out loud until you hit it. Your child tries to beat that time next go.
  • Swap roles every few goes, so your child rolls the soft ball too.
  • Progress 1: You can move around the square and roll faster.
  • Progress 2: Your child uses the practice foot only.

If it's not working: Make the square bigger.

Dribbler and Bouncer: set-upGsoft ball121 you roll the soft ball,2 your child dodges.6 m by 6 m
  • your child
  • Ggrown-up
  • dribble
  • throw or roll
  • 1in this order

A 6 m square marked with shoes or cones. Your child dribbles inside it while you stand in a corner and roll the soft ball by hand along the ground at their football. They keep their ball moving and dodge out of its way. Count the seconds out loud until you hit it.

Full details: set up, how to play, tips

Set up

  • The child starts in the middle of the square with the football.
  • The grown-up starts in one corner holding the soft ball.

A 6 m by 6 m patch of garden (about 8 giant steps each way), corners marked with 4 shoes, tins or cones.

How to play

  • The child dribbles around inside the square, keeping the ball close.
  • The grown-up rolls (never throws hard) the soft ball along the ground, trying to hit the child's football.
  • The grown-up counts how many seconds pass before a hit, and the child tries to beat their own time next go.
  • Swap roles every few goes, so the child gets to be the bouncer too.

Make it easier

  • A bigger square.
  • Roll the soft ball slowly, from further away.

Make it harder, step by step

  1. You can move around the square and roll faster.
  2. Your child uses the practice foot only.
  3. A smaller square (4 m by 4 m).

Three things to say

  • Keep your ball moving, because a still ball is easy to hit.
  • Watch the bouncer and change direction.
  • Laugh when you get hit and go again.

Colts habit

Be brave: laugh when you get hit and go again.

Both feet

Practice foot only round.

Heads up

Watch the bouncer, not just the ball.

For your birth year

Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.

2020 to 2021
The grown-up rolls the soft ball slowly from far away.
2016 to 2017
The grown-up can move around the square and roll faster.

Safety: Roll the soft ball, never throw it. Clear the square of garden tools.

My best

Seconds before a hit. Last time and this time. Only ever compared with their own earlier go, never with anyone else's. Saved on this device only.