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Every page in the Skill-Building Games collection, in one place.
See the collectionShielding the Ball: A Game for Home
Skill-Building Games
Shielding the ball game starts with body position, not effort.
Keep your body between the ball and whoever wants it: side-on, the ball on your far foot, one arm out to feel where they are, never to push them away.
The moment a grown-up stepped toward him he either froze, turned the ball straight into their feet or booted it away, and telling him to "keep it" only made it worse. Then getting down on the ground changed the whole game.
How to shield the ball, kids' version
How to Shield the Ball: Body Between, Ball Far
How to shield the ball kids can actually use comes down to three things happening together, not one clever trick.
- 1
Side-on, not face-on. Turn so a shoulder points at the challenger, never face them square, because face-on puts the ball between you and them.
- 2
Ball on the far foot. Keep the ball on the foot furthest from the challenger and keep it moving with small sole rolls, the same close control from toe taps.
- 3
An arm to feel, not to push. "A player may shield the ball by taking a position between an opponent and the ball if the ball is within playing distance and the opponent is not held off with the arms or body" (the Laws of the Game, Law 12). That's the game's one hard rule: an arm out to feel where the challenger is, never to hold them off.
Shielding drill at home
Keep It for Ten
All the shielding drill at home needs is a square roughly two big steps across, marked with anything. The child keeps the ball inside it for a count of ten while the parent tries to touch it. Ten seconds is a win, a touch is "go again."
- 1
Three rounds each. The child shields first for three rounds, keeping count of wins out loud.
- 2
Then swap. Let the child try to take it from the parent, who shields slowly and lets them win some.
- 3
Scoring stays one-sided. The child's wins get counted. The parent's never do.
One study, honestly hedged
Protect the Ball From a Bigger Player: Make Yourself Smaller First
Among under-13 players, taller and heavier players were involved in more actions, both attacking and defending (a study of young club players in small-sided games, Costa and colleagues, 2023). The general principle drawn from it: size turns into involvement, and a parent is far bigger than any gap in that study, so the parent has to give that advantage away. The ladder, easiest first: kneel, hands behind back, one-foot pokes only, count "one, two, three" out loud before reaching in. Move up one rung only after three wins in a row.
The players studied were club players in two age groups, roughly 11 to 14, competing in 3v3 games. It's an association rather than a cause, and the pattern did not hold for the older, under-15 group, so it supports only the point that the bigger player tends to dominate among younger, under-13 players, not a rule about any one child.
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Two sides of the same moment
Where This Sits Among the Skill Games
The adult's side of a 1v1 is how to defend gently so a child gets past. This is the child's side of the opposite moment, keeping it when someone arrives. If the whole idea of a contest is still too much, start there instead, and come back to shielding once a light contest feels manageable.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Shielding the Ball
Isn't shielding just pushing?
No. The Laws of the Game allow it when the ball is close enough to play and the other player is not held off with the arms or body. An arm out to feel is fine; an arm that pushes is a foul.
Is this a shielding drill at home I can do with no partner?
The sole-roll part, yes. The shielding itself needs someone to shield from, which is why the game uses a parent who makes themselves small.
What age is shielding the ball for beginners good for?
Any child who can already keep the ball near their feet while standing still. If they can't, start with toe taps first.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on how tonight's contest is going. If your child is caught before a shield is possible, turning away before the shield is even needed is the earlier move. If your child is smaller than the others and gets knocked off the ball, a child smaller than other kids at football has gentle ways to help.
Want the adult's side of a 1v1?
How to defend gently so a child actually gets past.
See the other sideIs any contest still too much?
A pressure-free version of a 1v1 to start with instead.
Start thereTonight's five minutes
Get on your knees. Count to ten. Let them keep it.
Side-on, ball on the far foot, arm out to feel. Ten seconds is a win.