Overlapping Full Backs

By David Baird

Follow @DavidBairdSC

A phase of play to encourage wide players to create space and allow full backs to join in the attack with an overlap.

Coaching Points:


CM: check to show feet and check your shoulder to see the field. Receive on the back foot and play quickly.


Wide player: Check behind the ball (no square passes) shape your body to see the field and the overlapping run, receive back foot and play front foot


Full back: Run at an angle to give the passing player a target to hit, ball comes in first and run onto the ball with a positive first touch



Progression 1:

Conditioned Game:

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Passing and Moving 2

By David Baird

Follow @DavidBairdSC


A session to encourage young players to pass, move and support the ball




Passing:

• Inside of the foot
  
• Punch through the ball
  
• Head down
  
• lock ankle – push your toes towards the sky
  
• Aim with standing foot and hips
  

Progression 1:

Progression 2:

Progression 3:

Notes: Support play, always show your feet to the ball and get into open space. 

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Soft Touch, Quick Strike

By David Baird

Follow @DavidBairdSC

A session to improve functional play of the striker 








Progression 1:

Progression 2:

Progression 3:

Progression 4: 

Getting the ball wide and delivery

This session looks at phases of play to get the ball wide.

Movement off the ball is vital to get into goal scoring positions.

By David Baird





After a good warm up start with the following drill:

Instruction:
The blue team will perform the phase of play, once the shot on goal has been taken, the white team should start as the blue team make their recovery run back to their starting positions. The aim is to complete the phase successfully, avoiding the traffic of the returning players. Speed of play challenge – complete the phase and shoot before the other team are back on their markers


Coaching:
Encourage the winger to check away from the play then back, asking for the ball to feet. The defender should play the wingers back foot so he can play 1 or 2 touch into the striker who should have also have checked away then to the ball, moving the defender away momentarily.
The return ball should be played in front of the winger.
Midfielder should time his run to just inside the box for a cut back and first time shot. Attacker should be the back post option – staying onside and looking for rebounds


Progression 1:

Conditioned Game:

More: Football drills and sessions

Supporting the striker (3v2) 

Coaching points:

• The following drills are designed to get the ball into the striker quickly and encourage wide players to support with pace and good movement to achieve a shot on goal. 
• Angle of support - make sure you are available for a pass
• Play the ball in front of the supporting player so they can run onto it
• Receive the ball side on so you can quickly play the ball into the path of the supporting player (give and go)
• Look for rebounds 

Warm Up

Mark out a 12x12 box which the striker (red) will look to move around in and show for the ball. A blue player will play the ball into the striker and then both blue players will make runs towards goal looking for the return ball. 

The striker must decide who's path to play the ball into - that player will have a shot and his team mate will look for rebounds - next to players will go.

Striker - check to the ball and call for it, receive side on and quickly play into the path of a supporting blue.

Progression: 

• Overlap runs
• The blue line of cones acts as the offside line
• Play to red, drop back to blue who plays the other blue through on goal
• BE CREATIVE! 
• LOTS OF COMMUNICATION! 

Main Drill

3 v 2 continuous to goal. The Gk for the blue team starts by playing the ball into the strikers feet, once this pass is played the 2 blue players will come to support, at the same time the red player will recover back to create 3 v 2 to goal. Once the play breaks down the players can line up behind the other goal and the opposite Gk will start the drill again.

Rotate the 2 central players accordingly 

It is an idea to have a supply of footballs in the goals for quick re-starts 

Remember:

• Support quickly
• Stay wide to stretch the defense 
• Shoot when given the opportunity
• Pass or cut back when necessary (player always look to support in goal scoring positions)
• Look for rebounds 

Conditioned Game 

3 v 3 in the center with 1 v 1 in the end zones. The team in possession look to play the ball into their striker, from here 2 players of that team can go and support and only 1 player of the other team is allowed to get back and help defend creating a 3 v 2 to goal.

Once that play breaks down it should leave the other team an opportunity to attack quickly and create a 3 v 2 at the other end.

Look for quick solutions, play direct in front of a supporting team mate so they only need 1 or 2 touches to get a shot on goal

The killer pass

Coaching points:

• Firm accurate passes with the inside of the foot (then move into space)
• Look to receive the ball with an open body so you can see the field around you and with the back foot (the foot that is furthest away from the ball)
• Don't loose possession, lots of movement off the ball and remember you can pass back
• Communication 

Warm Up

The player at the front of the red line starts with the ball, on the coaches command he will play a wall pass with the green player then pass the ball through the red gate to the first yellow player, once the pass has been made the red player (acting as a passive defender now) approaches the yellow forcing the yellow player to make a wall pass with the green and the sequence continues.

Main Drill

This drill is started with the green player having the ball at his feet (defender) the defender will dribble and stop the ball in front of the yellow player (attacker).

When the ball has been stopped the yellow player will instantly start to dribble and the green player will sprint around the red cone and come onto the field to defend. The game is 1 v 1 with the yellow player aiming to knock over a blue cone before the defender wins the ball. (No players are allowed in the end zone containing the blue cones)

Dimensions: 25 x 20 yard grid with a 5 yard end zone

Notes: Once the play has ended players should rotate lines. 

Conditioned Game

In an area of 30 x 25 mark out the set up above with a 5 yard end zone at each end of the field that has 3 small goals behind it. The game is played 3 v 3 in the central area with 1 player behind the 3 mini goals.

The teams play 3 v 3 and you can only score when you get into the other teams end zone, however you can not score into a goal if the player is standing behind that goal, therefore you must find a quick killer pass into an empty net before the other teams end zone player gets behind that goal.

Quick recap - 3 v 3 open play, any member of any team is free to go anywhere on the pitch but you can only score in the other teams end zone and into a goal that does not have an opposing player standing behind it

Progression: 

Now tell the player behind the goal that he can come into his teams end zone as an option for a pass - whoever passes to this player will swap roles with him. In defense he must be behind the goals but in offense he can come and support. You should encourage young players to be patient and not to force the killer pass, if going back and keeping possession is the sensible thing to do then keep possession and wait to create the opportunity to make the killer pass 

Questions about this drill, find me on Twitter: @DavidBairdSc 

3 V 2 OVERLOAD IN ATTACK 

Main Drill

Set up and instruction: 3 V 2 overlap to goal. The centre player starts with the ball and plays a pass to a side player of his/her choice. Once the pass has been made the centre player will then overlap that player and play against the 2 approaching defenders. 3 v 2 to goal, continues play until a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play

Coaching points:

• The first pass should go in front of the player so they can run onto the ball and attack through the centre - overlapping player attacks wide.
• Player on the ball should look to commit a defender before passing to an open team mate
• Look for rebounds
• Communication - if you are in a good position shout for the ball
• Pass and move (stay onside) 

Progressions:

If the 3 attackers succeed in scoring, the defenders must remain as defenders for the next run. 

If the 2 defenders win the ball, the must aim to start a quick attack by dribbling or passing across the end line (cones) 

Conditioned Game

Set up and Instruction: 

3 v 2 - six attacks to goal game

Each team has a turn as the attacking team, here the yellow team is first and the blue and green team nominate a goalkeeper so it is 3 v 2 in each half.

The coach will play the first ball into the yellow team who attack the blue teams goal, once that play has broken down they will turn, receive the next ball from the coach and attack the green team. This routine continues until all six attacks have taken place.

Rotate teams, so every team gets to be the attacking team and keep score - which team will score the most out of 6 attacks. 

Coaching points:

• Attackers - what choices do you have in possession? Use the overlapping player as a diversion and dribble or pass and move with the supporting player
• Movement off the ball - look to overlap your team mate on the ball or run in behind the defenders looking for a pass
• Communication between the 2 attackers and communication between the defender and goalkeeper 

Progression

Now play continuously, the central team attack one of the goals and if they are successful in scoring they turn and receive a new ball from the coach to attack the next team. However if a team fails to score they instantly swap with the defending team who quickly look for a ball from the coach to go and start an attack towards the other goal. 

Finishing around the area

This drill is designed to help decision MAKING around the area, movement off the ball and to encouraging players to get shots away early and look for rebounds

Set Up

Set up the players in 4 teams, red, blue, green and yellow (or 1,2,3,4 – a,b,c,d etc) On the coaches command the first player will attack the goal (red) in an attempt to score and once the shot has been released they then support the next player (green) and this sequence continues until all 4 players have attacked the goal, on the coaches command the first player of the next set of 4 players can begin.

Progression – once a player has supported they can become a defender creating 2 v 1s and 2 v 2s to goal. 

Once the red player shoots he will support the green player for a give and go towards goal

Once the green player shoots he will support the yellow player. The red player will become the defender creating a 2 v 1, meaning the yellow player has a decision to make. he can use the supporting player or he can go alone to goal.

Movement off the ball from supporting player is key, making sure he stays onside.

Once the yellow player has shot he will support the blue player, the green and red player will now become defenders creating a 2 v 2 to goal, again you are looking for good movement off the ball, effective 1 v 1 attacking and decision making, pass, dribble or shoot?

Important: Make sure you apply a rotation process so every player can play each role in the drill, for example once the play breaks down, collect your ball and join the next line

Coaching points:

• Technical points for shooting
• Look to penetrate quickly and take every opportunity to shoot
• Create space by passing and moving or dribbling with the ball
• Player off the ball must show good angles of support and be available for the pass
• Off the ball - run into space and take a defender with you to create a 1 v 1 situation for your team mate

Conditioned game

A GREAT SHOOTING DRILL, SUITABLE FOR MOST AGES AND ABILITY LEVELS, CREATING SPACE FOR AN EARLY SHOT IS THE ULTIMATE GOAL OF THIS EXERCISE SO ENCOURAGE PLAYERS TO PLAY WITH CONFIDENCE AND SPEED

Set Up

Set up an area of 30x40 with 2 goals and goalkeepers. Divide the group into 4 teams of 3 players.

3 reds will line up to play 3 blues, the other 3 reds will wait behind the red goal and the other 3 blues will wait behind the blue goal.

From here it is simply a case of winner stays on - as each team aims to score, if the red team scores then that group of 3 will stay on and the two blue teams will swap and vice-versa. If the ball goes out of play at any moment, both teams will switch. 

Important: Make sure the coach has a large supply of footballs at the side of the field in order to play a ball into the field when a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play, this is a high tempo exercise, therefor do not have players chasing the balls.

Coaching points:

• Technical points for shooting
• Look to penetrate quickly and take every opportunity to shoot
• Create space by passing and moving or dribbling with the ball
• Keep players wide to create space (diamond formation)
• Goalkeepers are also free to shoot