1v1 soccer drill

A good 1v1 soccer drill trains both players at once: the attacker learns to run at a defender and finish, and the defender learns to close down under control and keep the attacker away from the middle. This version uses a goal with a goalkeeper and the space in front of the penalty area. The defender starts beside the goal with the ball, passes it out to the attacker and then has to defend the duel they just started.

Setting up the 1v1 soccer drill

You need a goal, a goalkeeper and two lines of players. The defenders' line stands beside one post with the balls, and the attackers' line waits out in front of the penalty area, a little off center so there is an inside and an outside. Start them far enough apart that the defender has a real run to close the gap; on a full size pitch, somewhere outside the penalty area works, and you can bring it in for younger players.

The defender passes to the first attacker and follows the pass. The attacker scores by beating the keeper. The defender wins the round by taking the ball and dribbling it out past the attackers' starting point, or by forcing the attacker to play it out of bounds. Then the two players swap lines, so everyone defends and attacks in turn, and the next pair goes straight away. With two lines and quick rounds, nobody waits long.

The pass at the start matters. It gives the defender a moving ball to react to, the same as in a game, and it means the defender is closing down from a distance rather than standing face to face, which is the part of the duel they most need to practice.

What to coach

For the defender, the main point is the approach. Run hard to close the space, then slow down with short steps before you reach the attacker, so you arrive balanced and side on rather than at full speed. Stand a little toward the inside, between the attacker and the middle of the goal, and let them have the outside. You don't have to win the ball straight away. Keeping the attacker wide and making the shot come from a narrow angle is a good result, and a tackle comes when they take a heavy touch. The 1v1 defending article covers the stance and the jockey in more detail.

For the attacker, the first touch should go forward, into space, so the defender has to keep backing off. Running at the defender with speed makes them commit, and a change of pace or direction then creates the gap. If the defender has slowed the attack and is showing you wide, don't wait for a perfect chance; shoot when the angle still allows it.

The keeper is part of the drill too. When the attacker is pushed wide, the keeper moves across to cover the near post, and the defender's work makes that job easier. Players learn quickly that a defender and keeper working together leave only a small part of the goal open.

Step by step

This play shows one round. A is the attacker, D the defender and the GK the goalkeeper. The other players are left off the picture.

D passes the ball out to A and follows the pass to close A down.

D slows down before reaching A and gets side on, a little to the inside. A takes a touch forward.

D shows A toward the outside. A dribbles wide and D jockeys alongside, staying goal side.

A carries the ball into the box at a narrow angle. D stays alongside on the inside, and the GK moves across to cover the near post.

A shoots from the narrow angle and the GK saves at the near post.

D kept A away from the middle, so the shot came from a tight angle. A and D now swap lines for the next round.

Walk the first few rounds through at half pace so the defenders can practice slowing down and getting side on before it becomes a race. Once it runs at full speed, keep score by pairs or by line. To make it harder for the defender, let the attacker start with a touch before the defender moves; to make it harder for the attacker, add a second defender who starts a few steps behind the first, which also brings in the cover from pressure, cover, balance.

The full play

You can copy this playbook into your own account and change it for your team, for example moving the attackers' line to the other side or starting from a pass by a coach.

Playbooks can also be saved as a PDF if you would rather bring the drills to practice on paper.