When their team is on the attack, young players need to be alert to the possibilities of switching play from one side of the pitch to the other. It takes craft, vision and confidence.
When their team is on the attack, young players need to be alert to the possibilities of switching play from one side of the pitch to the other. It’s a tactic relied upon by every professional football team and takes craft, vision and confidence. It works so well because of the need for defending teams to play a pressing, compact line in the modern game. That makes them susceptible to the switch and the potential of being caught out. That’s why it’s crucial for attacking players to know when and how to switch – either by a long pass or a series or quick, short balls from one side of the pitch to the other. In this exercise your players first have to work out how many ways they can get the ball from one end man to another. They will then move on to put that technique into practice to score points.
How to set it up:
Getting started: Start by getting the teams to work out all the combinations of play that can ensure the ball moves from one side of the pitch to the other in their groups... so either a long ball across, passes to each man individually, etc. Get them to switch positions.
Developing the session:
Why this works:
Getting players used to switching play encourages them to use the technique in matches, and in this session, you are showing them how and when to make the correct decision. In the main game, having three goals protected by only two defenders means attackers will always be keen to hunt out space in which they can score.
This session originally appeared in Soccer Coach Weekly.
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