Figure-8 dribbling

Dribbling in a figure-8 pattern is one of the best ways to develop better dribbling control!

You get lots of purposeful touches. You get an equal mix of right and left turns. You can emphasize your best foot, your second best foot, or both feet. You can make your turns with the inside of your feet or the outside of your feet. You can emphasize tight control or raw speed.

Figure-8 setup:

  1. Setup two markers (cones or shoes, gloves, cans, pineapples or whatever) 5-10 steps apart.
  2. Dribble in a figure-8 pattern around and through the markers. You earn a point each time you dribble around a marker. How many points can you get in 30 seconds? Keep practicing! Can you beat your record? If you’re feeling confident, you can even compete against an opponent. Who can get the most points?

Figure-8 demo video:

Figure-8 dribbling keys:

  • Left foot steps wide to allow plenty of space to turn the ball with the outside of the right foot

    Make sure you keep the ball under control, and keep a good posture. You’ll have the best control if you keep your head and chest over the ball. You’ll probably lose control of the ball if you lean back.

  • If you’re using both feet, you can switch feet as needed and make the turns using the inside of your feet. If this is too easy, try using the outside of your feet to make the turns — that’s a lot harder!
  • If you’re dribbling with one foot only, the hardest part is turning the ball with the outside of your foot. If you place your non-dribbling foot to the side the ball — about 12″ away — you’ll stay balanced and do fine. If you place your non-dribbling foot too far behind the ball, you’ll probably lean back and lose control. If you place your non-dribbling foot too close to the ball, you’ll probably kick the ball with your toe and lose control.

If the figure-8 pattern is too hard, spread the markers farther apart. If it’s too easy, move the markers closer together.

When you feel confident about your control, think about when you need to take soft touches (when you are turning around markers), and when you can take firm touches (in the open space between the markers). Can you mix soft and firm touches to go faster, while still keeping close control?

Figure-8 variations:

  • Dribble with both feet and make all turns with the inside of the foot.
  • Dribble with your right foot only: this forces you to mix inside of the foot and outside of the foot turns.
  • Dribble with your left foot only: this forces you to mix inside of the foot and outside of the foot turns.
  • Dribble with both feet and make all turns with the outside of the foot. Many players find this to be the most challenging.

Figure-8 advanced variations:

These variations use the same course, but you aren’t dribbling a true figure-8. Your pattern will look more like a pair of glasses. Here’s a video using a sole roll to change direction.

  1. Dribble on the right side of the markers.
  2. As you approach the end marker, do a sole roll with your right foot to switch the ball to your left foot, then dribble around the marker with your left foot.
  3. Dribble back on the other side of the markers.
  4. As you approach the end marker, do a sole roll with your left foot to switch the ball to your right foot, then dribble around the marker with your right foot.

If you get good at this, replace the sole roll with a la croqueta move, where you cut the ball across your body with the inside of your foot instead of rolling it with the bottom of your foot.

Master figure-8 dribbling? What’s next?

If you’re becoming a ruler with figure-8 dribbling, take it to the next level by trying the diamond dribbling course. Figure-8s are great, but diamonds open up a bunch more options to sharpen your dribbling skills and keep you challenged.