Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Playing to space

Screen 1

' ' Set Up:

• Passing pattern 
• 4 yellow cones - square 20mx20m 
• 4 black cones - diamond 
• Oranger gates for the passing target 

How to Play:

• players line on the black cones with 2 players on the yellow cone diagonally to start with the ball. 
• Player on the black cone will look up and wait for trigger to make run to yellow cone receive the pass, take a touch and then pass through the orange gate to the next player who’s running on to the ball
• Player goes to the next black cone once they make a pass and repeat.

Coaching Points:

• Quality pass - accuracy
• Good first touch, second touch pass
• Run on to the ball (run to space, play to space)
• Wait for trigger (not too early or too late)

Friday/Saturday

:... Set Up:

• 40x45 box
• 3 mini goals in the other side of the big goal. Place them 5m away from the cones

How to Play:

• 2 teams of 5/6+1 neutral player (depending on the numbers)
• Possession game 
• Same objectives as previous drill. 
• Attacking team (blue) tries to keep ball possession, try to play around, though and over the defending team(white).
• Target is to be positive and try to play the ball pass the red flat cones where the shaded area is with one player running on to space and receive a ball there and to score against the GK in the big goal. 
• (White) Defending team will need to stay compact and make the pitch small and try to regain possession, once they get the ball, can they score in one of the mini goals ASAP.
• Switch defend/attack in 10mins

Coaching Points:

- Make the pitch big (width and depth)

- Patient, don’t force forward

- Pass the ball around and make space to play

- Make good use of neutral play to create numbers of advantage 

- Play through, around and over

Out of possession:

- make the pitch small

- stay compact 

- in transition-, react quickly