Soccer Development HubCoach sign in
← Back to drill library
Practice · 12 minutes

Turn and escape: Target trail

Recognize a closed route, turn with the ball protected, and accelerate into a better one.

Why this design: Players repeatedly see a reason to turn, choose a suitable technique, and connect the turn to an escape rather than treating it as a trick.

U6–U126–16 playersChange direction
Print one-page explainerUse in a first practiceFind a related warm-up →
Set it up

Organize before explaining

Give each player a ball; pair players when pressure is introduced. Mark a six-yard central zone and four clearly different target areas near the outside corners, leaving open travel lanes between them.

Space
22 × 25 yards
Equipment
soccer balls · 12 cones · 4 flat targets
Run it
  1. Walk one player through center, decision, target, and return so everyone sees the route and reset.
  2. Reach a target, perform a controlled turn, and accelerate back through a different side of the center.
  3. Use three two-minute rounds; change the starting direction or pressure after each brief question break. During play, coach only this action: Lower the center of gravity, keep the turning touch under the body, then push the exit touch into open space.
  4. Progression: A partner closes from one side at jogging speed so the dribbler must turn away from real but controlled pressure.
  5. Ask, “What told you it was time to turn rather than keep going?” Listen to two answers, then replay so players can test an idea.
Coach what matters

Success you can see

  • The turn moves the ball away from the blocked route.
  • The body stays between pressure and the ball.
  • The player accelerates after the turn.
Use short cues

See the closed route · Turn with the ball protected · Accelerate out

Ask between rounds

What told you it was time to turn rather than keep going?

Make it easier

Remove pressure and let players choose between a pull-back and an inside cut.

Add a stretch

Let the defender choose the side to close and require the player to select the safer turn.

Keep it moving

Engagement and safety

Players choose their route, and the group succeeds by using every target rather than comparing individual totals.

Safety check

Set targets inside the boundary, collect loose balls outside travel lanes, and keep the center large enough to avoid blind collisions. Check the surface and equipment before players enter the area, and offer a non-contact entry level.

If it breaks down

  • If the turn stops in the same crowded space, mark an exit gate and reward the first touch out of the turn.
  • If players queue at one target, make all targets equal value and require the next route to be different from the last.