Football drill to get players practising possession skills
Encouraging football players to keep the ball is a vital part of your football coaching sessions. Different age groups need different levels to practise at – and I know some of you will have teams that are more advanced than others, so here are three different levels of football drill to practise possession football.
Make use of a simple 2v1 game
In diagram 1 the two white players pass and move around the square while the grey player has to try and win the ball. If he wins the ball, he replaces one of the white players and the game goes on.
To advance the game, tell the white players they can only have two touches on the ball before they must pass. Once they have got the basics of the game add more players to make it a 3v2 or a 4v2.
Expand play so you are using 10 players
You can expand the play further as in diagram 2. For this one, use 10 players and an area 30 yards long by 20 yards wide.
Set it up so you have five attackers inside the area. Two more attackers – one on each of the longest sides of the area – can move up and down to support the play. Three defenders inside the area try to win the ball back.
They must win it back twice, then one of the three swaps places with an attacker – and the play continues.
Move to a 6v6 game
You can then take it a stage further as in the third diagram, where we have a 6v6. Use a 30-yard square pitch. You need to have a player from each team on each side of the square, with two from each side inside the square.
The team that starts with the ball must keep it for as long as possible using team mates on the edge of the square.
The player who receives the ball on the edge of the square can either pass or run into the square with the ball and the player who passed the ball out has to take his place on the side of the square.
The team trying to win the ball can only use the two players in the centre until they win it – players on the edge of the square cannot tackle.
Key coaching points
- A good first touch on the ball when receiving.
- Play the ball first time whenever possible.
- Count the number of passes to make it competitive.
- Players should use the inside and outside of each foot.
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Click the link for tactics that will get players winning possession from goal kicks.