Staying on the ball – Practice
Allow your players to develop confidence and technique in this three-part session. By HANNAH DUNCAN MORE
1v1 gauntlet
Improve your players’ ability to attack and defend in 1v1 situations.
What this session is about
- Attacking 1v1.
- Defending 1v1.
- Winning an individual duel.
What to think about
The ability to win 1v1 duels is essential, both in possession and defence. The better your players are in 1v1 situations, the more effective your team is in the match. Tell them: “The winner of a 1v1 immediately creates an overload somewhere else on the pitch.”
Set-up
| Warm up | Session | Developments | Game Situation | Warm Down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 15 minutes | 10-15 minutes | 10 minutes |
What you get your players to do
Mark out a 30×25 rectangle split into three 10-yard zones. Player 1 and 2 start each side of one goal with player 3 at the opposite end. Each player has a ball.
- Player 1 dribbles to shoot 1v1 against the goalkeeper.
- Player 1 turns, receives a pass from player 2 in order to attack him 1v1 and score.
- Finally, player 1 turns and receives a long pass from player 3. Player 1 dribbles 1v1 against player 2 in the middle zone and then 1v1 against player 3 in the opposite end zone to score.
If the defenders win the ball, the next attack starts immediately.
For the next repetition, players rotate positions.
Player 1 dribbles to score against the goalkeeper unopposed.
Development
Progress so that after attacking, players must react to defend.
- Player 1 dribbles to shoot 1v1 against the goalkeeper.
- Player 2 dribbles onto the pitch to attack player 1 in a 1v1 before scoring.
- Player 3 dribbles onto the pitch to attack player 1 and player 2 in a 1v2 situation. Can player 3 beat both players to score?
Player 2 dribbles out to attack Player 1 before scoring.
Game situation
Players 1, 2 and 3 enter the central zone. The aim is to get past your opponent and into one of the end zones to shoot 1v1 against the goalkeeper.
To start, player 1 plays against player 2.
The winning player immediately turns and receives a pass from the coach to attack 1v1 against player 3.
The game continues for three minutes with the winner being the player who scored the most goals.
Play three games of three minutes. this game is physically very demanding so ensure you have two minutes rest between each game.
Player 1 and player 2 compete 1v1 to score. Player 3 waits to play the winner.
