Train mobility with Small-sided Games
Goal
Equipment
- 8 markers
- 3 vests
- Balls
Preparation
- Playing Area: 30x25 meters / 33x27 yds
- Players: 8
- Duration: 18 minutes
- Series: 3 of 5 minutes each with 1 minute of recovery between sets
| Summary | Secondary Objectives |
|---|---|
|
Diamond-shaped playing area for 5 v 3 ball possession with pursuit of width and depth |
Peripheral vision, Pass, First touch, Feints and tricks, Losing your marker, Fijar, Marking, Intercepting, Tackling, Creating width and depth, Possession triangles, Ball possession, Pressing, Search for the third man |
Organization
Use the markers to create a diamond shape 30 meters/33 yards wide and 25 meters/27 yards high. Form a goal area at the top and bottom corners of the diamond (as shown in the picture). Five players act as attackers (white players) and three players as defenders (red players). A 3 v 3 game is played in the central area, with two attackers positioned at the vertices inside the goal areas, one at the bottom and one at the top, acting as support players.
Description
- The objective for the attackers (white) is to pass the ball to one of the two support players confined within the two goal areas
- Once the ball has been played, the support player that receives it enters the possession area while the player who passed the ball takes their place within the goal area (position swap)
- The objective of the defenders (red) is to intercept the ball
Rules
- The attackers must try to maintain possession without being intercepted by their opponents and manage to pass the ball to their teammates who act as supports
- The defenders must try to recover the ball and maintain possession in a 3 v 3 situation in the central area (the supports cannot defend when the ball is controlled by the red defenders)
- The attackers, being in numerical superiority, have three touches available for the play (seek faster and more fluid possession)
- The defenders, when they win the ball, have free touches available in managing possession in the 3 v 3 situation
- At the end of each series, change the players acting as defenders (reversing roles with three attackers)
Variations
- If a defender recovers the ball, they become an attacker at the expense of the player who made the mistake or lost possession
- Set a maximum number of passes for attackers within which the ball must be played to one of the two support players (for example, five consecutive passes)
Coaching Points
- This exercise, useful during activation or immediately afterwards, allows players to work on ball control in tight spaces, seeking maximum mobility from players who must find passing lanes for specific targets (the supports) and, if these are closed off by defenders, seek other strategies by looking for maximum width
- Pay attention to the mobility of the attackers, who must work according to the space available, trying to stay as wide as possible to cause difficulties to their opponents
- For the defenders, the objective is to maintain a high intensity so as not to allow space for maneuvering, seeking maximum pressure to force the ball carrier into making a mistake, while avoiding leaving spaces and passing lanes open that would facilitate plays for the supports
