1v1 to Tall Cones
One attacker takes on one defender, trying to knock over the tall cones on the far endline with a pass or shot — every cone down is a point, and it stays down.
Aiming a pass into a cone rewards accuracy over power — while the duel in front of it builds controlled dribbling, ball protection, and honest 1v1 defending.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Two teams, dueling in pairs (1v1)
- Ages 4–14
- Two teams, dueling in pairs (1v1)
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, tall cones, pinnies, balls
Grab Cones for the field, your tall cones, pinnies for one team, and a supply of balls.
Build Build a 20-by-30 field and stand 4 to 6 tall cones — you pick the number — along each endline as targets.
Place Each team behind its own line of cones, the ball supply near the attacking team's endline — yellow attacks first.
- 1
Organize the players
Split into two teams behind opposite endlines — yellow starts as attackers with the ball supply near their end, blue as defenders.
“Yellows, you're attacking — balls at your end. Blues, you're stopping them. First one from each team, step up.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the duel — the attacker always starts with the ball, dribbles in, and knocks over any of the opponent's cones by passing or shooting the ball into it. A downed cone is a point and stays down; a cone knocked over by a foot doesn't count and gets stood back up. The defender blocks, delays, and works to win the ball. The moment the ball goes out or an attempt misses, the next attacker and defender start immediately.
“Ball into the cone — that's a point, and it stays down. Kick it over with your foot? Doesn't count. Ball dies — next pair, instantly!”
- 3
Play
Keep the duels rolling. Watch for small touches and quick changes of direction, defenders staying low, delaying, and forcing the attacker wide, tackles timed instead of dives, aim instead of power, and attackers choosing well between dribbling, shielding, and going for the score.
“Small touches — shift them! Defense, stay low, force them wide — don't dive in!”
Look for Aim over power — attackers passing the ball into a cone rather than blasting and hoping.
- 4
Switch and repeat
When every cone on one endline is down, the attacking team wins the match — then the teams switch roles and run it again. For a defensive stake, award the defender a point for every 10 seconds a score is prevented.
“Last cone's down — attackers take it! Switch sides, your turn to attack.”
If the attackers keep getting stuffed before they ever threaten a cone, send two attackers against one defender for a few rounds, then walk it back to 1v1.
Go deeper · 2 notes
Why it works
The duel sharpens 1v1 skills on both sides at once — attacking creativity against defensive positioning — and scoring by knocking a cone over with the ball keeps players aiming and thinking, all inside a fun, competitive game.
What they learn
1v1 attacking and defending — controlled dribbling with small touches, quick changes of direction, shielding, accurate finishing, and defensive delay, positioning, and well-timed tackles.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.