How to train the 1v1, attacking and defending, at every age
By Marco Baleato · · About the author
Every match is full of 1v1 situations: a winger against a full-back, a striker with their back to goal, a defender who has to stop a dribble. Players who win them make the difference, and the good news is that they can be trained.
The key is to train them with a real opponent and a clear objective: a goal, a line or a gate to cross. Dribbling around cones helps the technique, but it does not teach when to accelerate or which way to go.
The attacker: coaching points
Run at the defender with the ball close. Slow down before the defender to make them stop, then change pace. Go to the side where the defender has their weaker foot or where there is space behind. Protect the ball with the body if the defender gets close.
Decide early: beat the defender, shoot or pass. A 1v1 is not only a dribble.
The defender: coaching points
Approach fast and slow down in the last metres. Low body, side-on stance, never square. Show the attacker towards the touchline or towards your teammate. Watch the ball, not the attacker's feet or body feints. Tackle only when the ball is far from the attacker's foot.
A defender who waits patiently wins more balls than one who dives in.
Tasks by age
U7–U10: 1v1 to mini goals and duels to gates. Many repetitions, short duels, and the defender becomes the attacker in the next round.
U11–U14: the dribbling game where the ball has to be stopped on a line, which forces the attacker to keep the ball under control until the end.
U13 and older: receive, turn and beat the defender to goal, and the 1v1 on the wing against the full-back to cross or shoot, closer to real match situations.
How to organise it
The 1v1 is very demanding: duels of 6–10 seconds, with at least three times as long to recover. Small groups of 4–6 players per station to avoid long queues. And keep score, because competition improves the quality of the duels.
