Often in a game, the best way for you to beat a defender is to dribble sideways instead of forward. Dribbling sideways forces your defender to change from forward to back motion, where they are fast, to side to side motion, where they are a lot slower.
Drill one
Helps you develop your touch with both the insides and the outsides of your feet while dribbling sideways. Take two touches with the inside of your foot, then stop the ball with the outside of your foot. This helps you develop your quick cuts. Continue this down the length of the field.
Drill two
Helps you practice a feint that you can do while dribbling sideways. Touch the ball across your body with two touches, then do a stepover. Resume dribbling sideways with two more touches, then do another stepover. One of the best ways to get free of a defender is to dribble sideways and do a fake, freezing your defender in place.
Drill 3
Helps you develop your lateral dribbling ability with the soles of your feet. Do two sole rolls across your body, then stop the ball with the inside of your other foot. Continue this sequence across the field. This is helpful because if you switch your dribbling style while dribbling laterally, it throws off your defender because they aren’t sure what you’re going to do next.
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If you’re looking for some great resources to get you started on your soccer training journey, check out our individual soccer drills page. These drills are all free and are intended to help you grow as a player.
For something a little more in-depth, check out our soccer training guides section.
