Counter Attacking
Part 3: 3v2 to 4v3
By Justin Faust
In the 3rd part of our session we will progress to build off of part 1 and 2 into a SSG that incorporates offensive and defensive transitions. The setup starts with the offensive players shown in Figure 1. Each player follows their pass and after the 3rd pass they go on the attack against 2 defenders. If the attacking team scores their round ends and it starts over.
However if the defense steals it in their offensive half they may then score as shown in Figure 2. This encourages the two defenders to press higher up the field despite being down numbers. The defense is allowed to pressure immediately after the second pass to force the offense under pressure.
It is unlikely that the defensive team is going to win the ball in their offensive half so it is important for their to be a game-like transition in their defensive half. In this drill, if the defense wins the ball in their defensive 3rd or the goalie saves the ball they must distribute it to their teammates standing on the outside by the agility sticks. As soon as they do this successfully, both players may join the attack to create a 4v3 transition. In Figure 3, the ball has just been won by the defense allowing them to transition straight to attack.
