Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Small Sided Game: In Possession-SWITCHING PLAY

Switching play

Primary Focus

A small sided game where blue team will have the opportunity to switch the ball by keeping the possession and having smart movements at the central channels to create the overload, shifting the ball from one side to the other,  making the pitch bigger and taking advantage of the space to progress to the finishing zone. 

The team out of possession needs to be narrow and compact playing in a low block and leave the furthest player and only one player (mostly fullbacks) can join into the wide channel to defend.

Organisation

16 Players will be organized into two teams. The blue team will be 1/2/4/1 (1-4-2-3-1) NO Fullbacks and 1CB and the red team 1-4-4-2 NO wingers and 9

Timing:

2minutes 2x4 minutes,

B1: Ball speed into the 2 wide channels, full switch and a goal will count as 3 points.

B2: Play short with 8, 10 and the open the ball into the wide channel, half switch and goal will counts as a 2 points

Area Size

The area size will be one half of the pitch. With 2 channels at the sides of 10m each, marked with yellow. And also a line on the penalty spot

Explanation

The task consists of having possession of the ball and moving it from one side to the other. The yellow zones are the two targets before scoring the goal. The blue team has to play into the outside channels before progressing to the finishing zone. Only one winger and one fullback can enter into the outside channel.

The blue team will make the pitch bigger to create more space and move the ball around the opposition and switching the point of attack. while passing to target players to progress, let the players do decision making but also giving alternatives to progress by playing with third man, doing intelligent movements to be an option and also the goalkeeper can make the switch or play directly with the striker.

The red team will be defending and they will try to deny the pass from one yellow zone to the other yellow zone by intercepting passes, having coordination with the fullbacks to anticipate the play and shifting as a unit. If the full-back sees the blue team moving from one side to the other, the full-back can move forward to anticipate the midfielder's movement. But the full-back doesn't jump alone; instead, we move forward as a unit. Once the red team wins the ball they will be using the transition to score. The team that score in transition have to play as fast as they can to forward and step up as a team 

Conditions

The pitch will be conditioned with four channels to support players understanding of space. These lines will support the team in possession in terms of distances between each other and being in different channels to make the pitch bigger and also these lines will help to count the points for the blue team if they play in three channels will get 2 points and it will be a half switch and if they make the full switch then they will make 2 points. And they get 3 points after moving the ball into the 2 yellow zones and scoring in the goal.

Challenges

The challenge is for the team in possession to switch the play to the opposite side 

full switch and goal: 3 points

full switch: 2 points

half switch: 1 point

Targets

The targets are the goals.

Key Points:

Ball Speed 

Make the pitch bigger

Maintain Width

Decision making when to switch 

Exploit the space 

Shift