From possession to goal scoring

Organisation

• Organise a pitch for players to play 4v4
• Teams can score points by keeping possession: a sequence of ten successful passes in a row is worth one point
• If the other team wins the ball, it tries to do the same
• You can also ask each team to simply try to keep the ball for the longest period of time

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Reduce the number of passes needed to score a point

Ways to make the exercise harder 

• Increase the number of passes needed to score a point
• Limit the number of touches each player can have before passing the ball
• Make the pitch smaller

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you try to make the pitch as big as possible by spreading out as a team?
• Can you show me how you can communicate as a team?
• When you are trying to win the ball back, how can you do so effectively?
• What problems arose for your team during the activity?
• How did you solve them?

Safety tips

• Create safe zones between each playing area

Organisation

• Organise equal teams, including fixed goalkeepers, and give every outfield player a number
• Each player will have the same number as an opponent
• Call a number and the relevant players run onto the pitch as quickly as possible and play 1v1 until one of them scores or the ball leaves the pitch
• Progressively call more than one number at once, so it becomes 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4. You can also let the goalkeepers compete 1v1
• The first team to score ten goals wins
• Make sure you have as many balls as possible at the side of the pitch

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Start with no goalkeepers
• Match up the players by ability

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Call uneven numbers from each side, for example players 3 and 4 from one team and player 7 from the other

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you listen very carefully for your number and sprint onto the pitch when it’s your turn?
• Can you decide very quickly if you can reach the ball first to be the attacker or you should take up a defensive position?
• Can you be positive on the ball in a 1v1 situation?

Safety tips

• Only call new players onto the pitch once the playing area is clear

Organisation

• Organise two equal teams of 7v7
• Split the pitch into thirds; play 2v2 in each zone, plus the goalkeepers
• Normal rules, but let the players decide how to restart the game (e.g. kick-ins instead of throw-ins, or starting from the back after every goal)
• Ask the players to referee their own games
• If you have more than two teams, rotate every few minutes or make multiple pitches
• Try to use large goals if possible
• If you have an odd number, it’s fine to play with uneven numbers in one zone
• The players have to stay in their zone, but give them a chance to change zones, and the players they are up against, every few minutes

Ways to make the exercise easier

• Give one team more players
• Start with no goalkeepers
• Teams can pass straight from zone 1 to zone 3 (i.e. defence to attack), bypassing zone 2 (the midfield)

Ways to make the exercise harder

• Give one team fewer players
• Require teams to play through each of the thirds before they can score

Great questions to ask the players

• Can you discuss as a team the best way to play this game?
• Do you always have to play the ball forwards from the middle zone?
• Which zone did you like playing in best and why?
• Why is it important to be ready to problem-solve during this game?

Safety tips

• Create safe zones between each pitch if you have more than one