Staying on the ball – Practice
Allow your players to develop confidence and technique in this three-part session. By HANNAH DUNCAN MORE
A touch of class
Good players understand that a positive first touch will do more than just bring the ball under control – it will also move it into space. This creates more time for them to make their next decision so it is an important skill to master.
What this session is about
- Receiving the ball.
- Setting the ball up for the next technique.
- Creating more possession time.
What to think about
When receiving a pass, a player must:
- Move in line with the ball.
- Contact the ball’s horizontal mid-line or above.
- Cushion the ball on impact to guide it in the right direction.
- Control it away from pressure.
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
Put players in pairs with a ball. Each stands in a disc cone triangle and has two touches on the ball – one to control and the other to pass.
With each controlling touch, players move the ball from one side of an imaginary line that bisects their triangle through to the other side.
Begin by having players half-turned in the direction they want to go. They control with the back foot, allowing the ball to travel across the triangle, then pass with the same foot. After a set time, switch the direction of the drill so they have to use their other foot.
Then instruct players to stand more square-on and control with the inside of one foot across the body, and pass with the inside of the other foot.
Pairs pass a ball between each, taking one touch to receive and another to pass. They must stay in their triangle.
Development
Use the centre circle of your pitch and 10 players. Three players, with a ball each, dribble inside the circle. The other players are spaced equally around the edge of the circle, behind cones.
When they receive a pass, they control the ball to other side of their disc cone and dribble into the circle, swapping places with the player who passed to them.
Players inside the circle pass to one on the edge. That player takes a controlling touch past the cone and dribbles the ball into the circle.
Game situation
Play a 5v5 game but it’s 3v3 in the circle. Each team has two receivers on the edge of the circle. Teams score a point either through the central players successfully completing three consecutive passes or by passing out to a receiver, who must make a successful and positive first touch into the circle and, at the same time, switch roles with the player who passed the ball.
The team without the ball needs to chase to intercept it. When the ball goes out of the area, restart play with the team that would have won a throw in/corner.
The team that scores most points wins.
In a 5v5, two players from each team wait for passes outside the circle while a 3v3 takes place inside.
