Circle marking

Ball starts with centre mid. 3 mids transfer ball laterally. 3 Defenders mark 3 Attackers inside 23m area. After a minimum of 2 midfield passes, ball is passed in to one of the attackers. Defenders mark, trying to deny the pass to attacking players by intercepting. If Defenders intercept, they look to release a quick outlet pass to one of the side midfielders. Have 2 extra attackers starting behind the goal to swap in with the attackers in the circle. Have 2 extra defenders starting behind the goal to swap in Progression: Remove conditions and play 6 attack v 5 defence with the ball always starting with centre mid DEFENDING Front-mark in this area of the field so the Attacker does not have time to receive the ball in a dangerous space. Defender should be closer to the ball than the Attacker, and slightly on the inside of the field towards the Center Line. Keep body “side-on”, so shoulders are open to both ball position and attacker. Defender should always know where the attacker is, so must continually check and recheck visually to make sure positioning is correct. Maintain an appropriate distance from the attacker (the closer they are to the ball, the closer defender should be). ATTACKING Attacking players should challenge the defence by creating dynamic off-ball movement - lead runs into space. Attackers should be looking at where their team-mates run and move accordingly so they are not all running into the same space. Mids should look to play the ball into the spaces where the forwards are running.