Practice: Delay the play 1v1

By pitting individual defenders against two attackers, this session teaches a lone defender to be patient and delay play until they either win the ball or their team-mate recovers to assist. The speed of the activity means players have to react very quickly during moments of transition, which in turn improves their reaction times.

Set up

Set up an area 20x10-yards. We’ve used eight players. You need balls, bibs, cones and target goals.

How to play it

Teams take it in turn to attack in a 2v2. After each attack, the pair of attackers become defenders and the player who last touched the ball must run to the opposition goal and touch it before they can recover to defend; the other player immediately defends. If the ball leaves the field or if a goal is scored then two new players come on as the new attackers; if the ball is turned over, then the two defenders stay on the pitch and attack. 

Technique

Make sure players know not to overcommit but to delay the play and wait for the recovering player to even the numbers. Timing and judgements is vital – if the delaying defender overcommits, they will get easily beaten, or if they are overly conservative they will miss the opportunity to win the ball.