The aim of the drill is to work on helping your team keep possession all over the field. The game starts with normal rules, no limitations on touches, with both teams simply trying to score. The game changes when the coach shouts the following:
1. Possession - Players must keep possession in their own half, which of course means they are not allowed to score. If a team wins the ball, they must take the ball to their own half and try and keep it.
2. Normal - Teams return to a normal game and are allowed to score.
3. Barca - Similar to possession, but this time players must attempt to keep the ball in the other teams half, but they are not allowed to score. If the other team wins the ball they must get the ball into their opponent's half and keep it there.
This drill teaches players how to keep the ball regardless of where it is on the pitch. While playing in their own half, defenders are taught how to keep the ball at the back and not panic, while attackers learn how to press high up the field.
While keeping the ball in the opposite half, players can learn how to break down stubborn defences.
You can add in a number of progressions to this drill such as players can only take one touch when playing in their own half. Timing can also be added to the drill, with teams needing to score within ten seconds of winning the ball, or defences must win the ball back within ten seconds of losing it.
in more ways than one
in more ways than one
Pre-season is your one window to build a real engine. This July, ditch the endless laps and learn how to condition your players with a ball at their feet.
A clear game model turns a squad into a team. Use pre-season to decide who you want to be, then train it every single week so your side is recognisable from the first whistle.
Roughly a fifth of Premier League goals come from set pieces, and the gap between teams who plan their routines and teams who do not has never been wider. Here is how the modern set-piece specialists design attacking corners, free kicks, and throw-ins - and how you can apply their ideas at any level.