Winning combinations

This is a great session to get your players to react to different situations like they would face in match play. Attackers are reacting to defensive as well as attacking transitions. This session helps attackers to understand how their movement and position in relation to the player nearest the ball can effect the play.

Set up

You need balls, bibs, cones and 4 mini goals. Set up an area 40 x 40 yards around the centre circle with 2 goals at each end. We used 14 players in the session.

How to play it

Split your players into two teams of 5 and 2 servers. Three attackers from each team go into the opposition half of the pitch starting in the centre circle in that half. Players must stay in their own half. Two defenders defend the goals. The server plays a ball to the defenders – the attackers must be in the half circle at the point of serve – who then combine to get the ball to their attacking trio in the other half of the pitch. Each time the ball goes out of play the server plays a new ball in and the attackers must retreat to the half circle.

Technique

In the 3v2 (attack v defence) you want to see good body positions in both attack and defence so they make use of the overload

1. The game starts with a pass from the server to the defending pair which releases the opposition forwards

2. Players must stay in their half of the pitch but can move around to create space to receive a pass

3. The forwards must take advantage of the overload and try to score a goal

4. When the ball either goes in the goal or goes out of play the server plays a new one in – the attacking trio must retreat into the semi circle in their half

5. The positioning of the three attackers is important especially when the defenders have the ball – they must try to win it early and prevent a pass through to the other half of the pitch