By Matt Carroll
Sideways transitions is an excellent drill for working on those hectic in game moments, whether it’s a scramble off a throw in or a bouncing opportunity in the box, this drill will help players identify the nuance of the chaos im these short high high-intensity moments. The drill starts with a 20x20 box and 2 goals, 25 feet away from either end with a goalie in each. 4 teams are created, two of each color. If we used red and yellow 1 red would be in the box 1 would be to the side of the box on the side of the box without goals, same for yellow.
To start the ball is then played in, either by kick, punt, roll, etc. players are tasked with then taking the ball from the toss and connecting 3 passes. If they connect 2 passes their 3rd pass can be a through ball that leaves the box towards one of the goals. Once the pass leaves the box an attacking player can leave the box and attempt to score on one of the goalies. The ball can be played to either goal. If the player scores their team stays on the field and the other team is replaced by the other team of the same color and the process repeats. If the player misses their shot or it is saved then their team is off and replaced. If any time the ball goes out of the grid before a pass then a new ball is played into the box in a random spot, increasing the chaos.
To modify the game to increase difficulty the field can be made smaller, or easier by enlarging the field. The number of passes can be modified to increase or decrease the speed of the drill, goal sizes can also be adjusted. One way to progress the game is to then add a defender that is allowed to leave the box to defend the attacker. Another modification that can be made is to increase the speed of transition by making the rule that if the ball goes out of bounds then both teams are off and the game resets with two new teams.
By Matt Carroll
