A key principle for many teams will be to switch the direction of play. In the following exercise, we will see how this can be worked on in training to emphasise this principle.
But first, what do we actually mean by switching play?
Switching play is mainly used when the opposition has been dragged to one side of the field, close to the ball and blocked attacking options on that side. A team will then look to use a pass to change the direction of play and exploit the spaces left by the opposition, on the other side.
So let’s take a look!
SET UP
8v8+2 GK. Place three mini goals (cones can be used if mini goals are not available) at each end of the playing area.
DESCRIPTION
Team out of possession must defend the three goals with the GK working hard to cover all the mini goals as the ball gets close to each one.
The team in possession attempts to score in one of the three goals.
KEY DEVELOPING ASPECTS
- Spatial awareness
- Communication
- Delivery of pass (to switch the play)
Note: If players start to take the easy option (when out of possession) and simply defend deep in front of the goal, then apply the following rules:
- Create a zone in front of the goals in which only the goalkeeper is allowed to be in
- X number of passes will also result in a goal scored