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Practice games

Dribblers and Robbers

Arrival game: everyone dribbles in a square while a robber tries to win a ball, then hands it straight back.

Arrival 5 min 4 to 16 players Cage Half pitch 2016 to 2021

Me and My Ball Be brave

At a glance

  • A 20 m square with a cone on each corner. Everyone has a ball except one robber (R) in a bib. The coach is R to start.
  • R tries to win a ball with their feet, no pushing, then hands it straight back. That dribbler does 5 toe taps and plays on.
  • Dribblers keep the ball close, look up for R, and turn or speed up to get away.
  • Every minute, R gives the bib to a dribbler, who leaves their ball at a corner cone. The old R takes that ball.
  • Progress 1: Add a second robber in a bib.
  • Progress 2: Shrink the square to 15 m by 15 m.

If it's not working: Make the square bigger, 25 m by 25 m.

Dribblers and Robbers: set-upR5 toe taps1231 R closes in, 2 escape, 3 robbed: toe taps, go.20 m by 20 m
  • dribblers
  • Rrobber
  • run
  • dribble
  • 1in this order

Everyone dribbles at once, shown as four. The coach is the first robber; after a minute the bib goes to a child, drawn here as R in a yellow bib. R closes in on one dribbler, who turns and escapes with the ball. A child who has just been robbed gets the ball straight back, does 5 toe taps on the spot, then dribbles off again.

Full details: set up, how to play, tips and age tweaks

Set up

  • Put a cone on each corner of the square.
  • The coach starts as the robber, standing in the centre in a bib with no ball.
  • Each child arriving takes a ball, steps anywhere inside the square and starts dribbling at once, in any direction.

20 m by 20 m square; 4 cones, one per corner; 1 ball per child; 2 bibs for robbers.

How to play

  • Dribblers keep their ball moving inside the square.
  • The robber tries to win a ball with their feet, no pushing, then hands it straight back. That dribbler does 5 toe taps and carries on.
  • Every 60 seconds the robber hands the bib to a dribbler. The new robber leaves their ball at a corner cone and robs with no ball; the old robber takes that ball and dribbles on.
  • On the whistle everyone freezes with a foot on the ball, and the whole group counts how many balls are under a foot inside the square, trying to beat the last total.

Keeping everyone moving

Every child arriving joins straight in with a ball. Being robbed means 5 toe taps and straight back on.

Make it easier

  • Make the square bigger (25 m by 25 m).
  • Have the robber walk.

Make it harder, step by step

  1. Add a second robber.
  2. Shrink the square to 15 m by 15 m.

Three things to say

  • Keep your ball close enough to touch it every step.
  • Look up to see where the robber is.
  • When you get robbed, smile, do your toe taps and go again.

Colts habit

Be brave: keep dribbling near the robber, and go again when robbed.

Both feet

Dribble with the practice foot for one round.

Heads up

Look up to see where the robber is.

For your birth year

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

2020 to 2021
The coach is the only robber and walks.
2018 to 2019
As written, with a child robber in a bib.
2016 to 2017
Use two robbers in a smaller 15 m by 15 m box.

A young leader can run this one, with an adult coach beside them.

Safety: No body contact from the robber. Keep the square clear of bags and bottles.

Keeping score: The whole group counts the balls under a foot at the whistle and tries to beat its last total.