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Although every coach understands the need for isolated and individual finishing practices, this session works by placing players in realistic goalscoring positions, and as a team. It trains them in how to create and combine in overload situations, harnessing a raw ability to capitalise on goalscoring opportunities, shoot early, or pass to team mates in better positions.
Area | Up to 70x44 yards |
Equipment | Balls, cones, goals |
No. of Players | Up to 21 |
Session Time |
3v2 9x90secs, Boxes and floaters 2x10mins, Other practices 6x4mins with 30secs rest in between |
Although every coach understands the need for isolated and individual finishing practices, this session works by placing players in realistic goalscoring positions, and as a team. It trains them in how to create and combine in overload situations, harnessing a raw ability to capitalise on goalscoring opportunities, shoot early, or pass to team mates in better positions.
Any or all of these practices can be used, but it’s important the coach manages the situation if something happens to stem the flow. If, for whatever reason, momentum is being lost, stop and restart with an unopposed attack.
The simple premise on the attackers is to be positive, ambitious, and to shoot on sight.
In a 36x25-yard area, we start with a very simple attacking overload practice. It’s 3v2 both ways, with yellows always restarting with a ball from a keeper; they combine to score in the goal (1), then turn and attack again the other way.
We will use six defenders here, with each pair working for one minute before rotating.
Now we set up as shown (2a), play beginning with a server by the bottom goal. To kick off the move, the keeper feeds out to unopposed attackers - one moves forward with the ball and shoots.
After his shot, he runs to the goal line then recovers. He’s now a defender, because three blues enter from that same goal line as attackers. They can now attack the bottom goal, 3v2, until the other defender recovers back (2b).
From here, all players attack, then defend (2c), before rotating off the pitch on the coach’s call, but the player taking the shot always has to recover from the goal line for the defending phase.
If the keeper saves a shot, the same ball is used, otherwise the server introduces a new ball and the player retrieves his effort. This all adds to the requirement that players must keep the transitions fast.
Now altering the dynamics, teams start in their attacking and defending zones before moving forward. This new set-up adds yellow and blue players to both sides of the central zone. We can also place players at the end of pitches, in the same way we did in ‘Continuous 3v3 attacks’
So the keeper begins by passing to an incoming yellow, who acts as a target man in a 4v3 attacking situation (3). Upon completion of this attack, the three attackers leave the playing area. When the defenders have defended they attack with the next ball against three new players who enter from the other end.
So in this practice all players defend then attack.
Adding a channel creates a notable change to attacking and defending dynamics (4a). Each side channel is only five yards wide, but yellows and blues can oppose each other in this space, and the initial serve from the keeper must go into this space.
We also allow a defender to move into the channel to close down in a 2v1 situation. The incentive here for the attacker is that by retaining possession - and feeding back inside or up the line (4b) - his team have created an overload in the centre by virtue of the extra defender being dragged into the channel.
Finally, in a 70x44-yard area, we set up a game that’s 3v2 in each end zone and 3v3 in the middle (5). In each zone there is also a ‘free player’, who can help create mini-overload situations, but only plays for the side who are moving out of defence (so he cannot act as an attacker in a 4v2 overload).
Naturally, we want to see players adopting a positive attacking mindset in each practice. Passing must be sharp and accurate and at high tempo. Players must always be seeking out opportunities to overlap or underlap, making diagonal runs through defenders and testing the decision-making abilities of team mates, be they attackers or defenders.
If teams are encouraged to play through midfield quickly in creating early goalscoring opportunities, many of the positive technical and tactical elements should follow naturally.
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