Technique: How to Teach Dribbling

Dribbling is, perhaps, the most important skill a player can have or work on. Your children will put opposition players out of the game by dribbling past them. They will also demoralise the opposition and make themselves feel good.

Dribbling Moves in Soccer for Beginners -- powered by eHow.com

And by dribbling they're showing that they're not afraid of being tackled.

Toe-poking: bad habit or clever technique?

As we all know, very young players run towards the ball as though they are magnetised to it. When they get close to the ball (or the ball hits their foot), they instinctively move their leg towards it. It's more a case of their foot colliding with the ball than a deliberate kick.