Dribbling Gates

Setup

Scatter pairs of cones around a 25-by-20-yard area to make 8 to 12 gates — each gate is two cones about two big steps apart, pointing every which way. For a backyard or a handful of players, shrink the space and use 5 or 6 gates. Every player takes a ball. That's the whole setup — and the messier the gate layout looks, the better the game plays.

How to play

1. On "go!", dribble through any gate you like. Every gate you pass through scores a point.
2. Count your score out loud as you go. The shouting is half the fun, and it keeps everyone honest.
3. No repeats back-to-back: once you're through a gate, you have to visit a different one before you can come back.
4. After 60 seconds, freeze — everyone calls out their number.
5. Round two: beat your own score. That one change is what turns a drill into a game.

Coaching points

• Eyes up between touches. Finding the next open gate is the real skill here — coaches call it scanning, and this game trains it better than almost anything.
• Little touches keep the ball glued to your feet, so you can turn the instant you spot an opening.
• Hunt empty grass. The gate nobody else is heading for is worth the same point as the crowded one.
• Use both feet. A gate on your left shouldn't mean a big loop so you can take it right-footed.
• Change gears: cruise while you're choosing your gate, then burst through it.

Variations

• Doorways makes it easier

  Make every gate four big steps wide and add a couple extra. Four- and five-year-olds get the exact same game with a lot more success built in.

• Gatekeepers makes it harder

  One or two players park their balls and become gatekeepers. A gatekeeper standing in a gate closes it — and they must move to a new gate every five seconds, so the map never stops changing.

• Color call makes it harder

  If your cones come in colors, shout one mid-round — "blue!" — and only that color counts until the next call. Instant head-lift, zero extra setup.

On your own

Set up five gates with whatever you've got — cones, shoes, water bottles. Time yourself through all five, then try to beat it. With a friend, take turns: one dribbles while the other counts down, then swap.