By Alex Trukan
This practice is designed to improve players’ ability to maintain quantity of actions throughout the whole game. By improving aerobic capacity, the oxygen supply to muscles will be more efficient what will in turn help with sustaining exercise. This physical quality is a base for developing further conditioning abilities such as speed, strength or power. In addition to this, the practice contains elements of team possession as well as finishing that makes it more game realistic and tactically relevant.
Set-Up and directions
Organise a pitch of approximately 30 x 30 yards. Place one goal at each side of the pitch, 10 yards away from the line. Divide the team into four groups of four. Two groups start inside (defending and attacking) and one group starts outside the square (neutral). Organise goalkeepers in goals if possible. The number of goals can be adapted. Prepare a sufficient supply of balls to insure flow of the practice.
The game starts from one of the neutral players who passes the ball into the attacking team. The first aim for the attacking team is to keep possession and complete 5 passes. Neutral players can be used and have to play off one touch.
As soon as five passes are completed, the attacking team should bounce the ball off one of the neutral players and finish in goal. This is classed as one point. The defending team from the middle has the same objective after winning the ball from the opposition.
After one team scores, the game is restarted from another neutral player who passes the ball out to the team that has just conceded. The game continues for set amount of time.
Timing
The game should be played 4-6 minutes and repeated 4-6 times with 2 minutes active rest in between.
Variations
- 5 v 5 + 4/6 v 6 + 4
- Make 3 passes, play one two with neutral and score
- Finish only off one touch
By Alex Trukan, Development Coach, Nottingham Forest
@AlexTrukan
