Dribbling Warm-ups

Dribbling Gates Drill

The dribbling gates drill gives every player a ball and a simple job: get through as many gates as you can. Nobody queues, nobody waits for a pass, and the traffic in the area forces players to keep their heads up and change direction all the time.

AgesU6 to adult
Players4 to 16
Space25 × 25 m
Time10 min
IntensityMedium

Animate it in DrawTactics

It builds close control, use of both feet, and the habit of scanning while dribbling. It's a go-to opener for young teams and a good first activity on a night when players arrive in dribs and drabs, because anyone can join in the moment they get there.

Setup

Mark out a 25 × 25 m area and scatter five gates inside it, each made of two poles about two meters apart. Give each of the 8 players a ball. On your call they dribble through as many different gates as they can, never using the same gate twice in a row. (The animation follows one player's ball so the movement is easy to see; in practice everyone dribbles at once.)

Equipment10 poles or cones (5 gates), 1 ball per player

How it works

The animation follows one dribbler: they take the ball through the nearest gate while the rest of the group, each with their own ball in practice, moves off toward other gates.
The dribbler changes direction and carries the ball through the gate in the middle of the area as others look for open gates.
They come out of the middle gate and accelerate across to a third gate on the far side while the rest of the group keeps moving.

Diagram of the dribbling gates drill with every pass and run — Every step of the drill on one diagram.

Coaching points

Small touches in traffic, bigger touches into space
Head up between touches to pick out the next gate
Use both feet and every surface: inside, outside and sole
Speed up as you come out of a gate
If a gate is busy, turn away and find another

Make it harder

Count the gates in 60 seconds and try to beat your score
Add two players in bibs who guard gates
Name a turn or a foot to use at every gate
Fewer gates, so the traffic gets heavier

Make it easier

Wider gates
Walk it through first, then build up the speed
More space between gates

Adapting it by age

U8–U10

Use 3 m gates and short 45-second rounds with a count, and call out a surface to use (sole, outside, left foot only) for each round.

U12–U14

Narrow the gates to 1.5 m, add two gate guards in bibs, and require a turn or a move to beat the guard before going through.

U15 to adult

Shrink the area to 15 × 15 m and play it as a 1v1 game: pair players up, one with a ball scoring gates and one defending, swapping every 30 seconds.

Common mistakes

Players stare at the ball and crash into each other. Hold up a number of fingers at random; anyone who calls it out first gets a point, so looking up pays off.

Everyone dribbles back and forth through the same gate. Add the rule that the next gate must be a different one, and spread the gates further apart.

The drill runs too long and players coast. Work in rounds of 45 to 60 seconds with a short rest and a target to beat each time.

FAQ

How wide should dribbling gates be?
About 2 m is a good starting point. Go wider for very young players and narrower, around 1 to 1.5 m, once players can dribble through with control.

What age is a dribbling gates drill for?
It works best from about U6 to U12, but older teams can use it as a quick ball-mastery warm-up with defenders or a time challenge added.

Make this drill your own

Open the dribbling gates drill in DrawTactics to change the numbers and the size of the area, move the players, and export your own animation or diagram for your team. Or add it to a free session plan and print it.

Animate it in DrawTactics