Football · Dribbling & 1v1 · Scanning

Traffic lights dribbling

Players dribble in a square and change speed when the coach holds up green, amber or red.

GREENCP1P2P3P4
Start / 4
Time
10 min
Players
4–14
Age
U6–U9
Area
20 × 20 m
Equipment
4 cones14 balls (one each)3 coloured cones or bibs: green, amber, red

Setup

  1. Mark a 20 × 20 m square with four cones.
  2. Every player has a ball inside the square.
  3. The coach stands outside with a green, an amber and a red cone or bib.

How it runs

  1. Green: dribble fast. Amber: slow down, small touches. Red: stop the ball with your sole.
  2. The coach holds up a colour without speaking, so players have to look up to see it.
  3. Play rounds of about 90 seconds with a drink break in between.

Coaching points

  • Look up every few touches - find the coach, then find the space.
  • Small touches when it's busy, bigger pushes into space on green.
  • Stop the ball with the sole so it stays right under you.

Common mistakes

  • Staring at the ball and missing the colour change.
  • Kicking the ball too far ahead on green and losing it.

Say it: “Look up, find the colour, find the space.”

Make it harder

  • Add blue - turn and go the other way.
  • Shrink the square so there's less space.

Make it easier

  • The coach calls the colour out loud as well as showing it.
  • Use only green and red to start.

Pairs well with

Reviewed by the Sportdify coaching team.