DribblingBeginner

Body Feint Drill

Players learn to use shoulder drops and body sways to fake out a defender before accelerating away with the ball.

10 min

2–8 players

4 cones, 1 ball per pair

Objective

Teach players to use body movement — not just foot touches — to unbalance a defender.

Watch It In Action

Watch "Body Feint Drill" on YouTube

Search: Body Feint Drill · Dribbling · youth soccer drill

Body Feint Drill youth soccer drill demonstration

Visual Concept

Top-down diagram — Dribbling drill layout

Setup

Pair players up. Place two cones 5 yards apart. One player is the dribbler, one is a passive defender standing between the cones.

How to Run It

Introduce the feint

Dribbler approaches the defender slowly. Drop one shoulder sharply to the left as if going that way, then push the ball right with the outside of the right foot.

Passive defender

Defender reacts to the shoulder drop but does not tackle — they just shift weight. Dribbler accelerates past.

Switch sides

Repeat the feint going the other direction. Emphasize the shoulder drop must be convincing — sell it.

Live defender

Defender now tries to stay with the dribbler. Dribbler chooses which direction to feint based on the defender's weight.

Coaching Cues

Sell the feint — your shoulder and eyes must commit to the fake direction

Accelerate immediately after the feint — don't hesitate

Keep the ball close before the feint so you can push it quickly

Watch the defender's hips, not their feet — hips tell you where they're going

Variations

Add a cone gate 3 yards past the defender — dribbler must go through it after the feint
Allow the defender to tackle after the feint to add pressure
Chain two feints before accelerating