Soccer Possession Drills
Ball possession in soccer is meant the action executed by two or more players that get to transmit the ball avoiding the interventions of opponents. In other words, during the game, each time a team dominated the ball we can say that team "possesses the ball".
At this point we have to make a simple but yet substantial difference between to be "possessing the ball" and "playing to possess the ball"; the first one refers to the fact that any player from the team completely dominates the ball and can execute any move, while the other is an strategic election of the team that wants to dominate the ball for a tactical issue.
The advantages of playing with ball possession in soccer could be:
- Make the opponent move towards the ball to move him away from the defense of their goal
- Force the opponent to a constant change of position to then surprise him in the empty spaces that they has left
- Create the basis for an attacking action
- Change the front of attack
- Control the rhythm of the match
Each coach can add to this cast other motivations and advantages that come from the strategic election without forgetting that to be able to act in an efficient manner they needs from each player some essential tactical and technical concepts:
- Capacity of transmitting the ball and particularly the pass
- Capacity of receiving the ball and particularly of the oriented control
- Capacity of defending the ball
- Capacity of mobility of the players and particularly of unmarking
- Capacity of staggering on the available space creating lines and different passing depths
In the proposed exercises players can become familiar with multiple situations and get used to keep possession of the ball, improving technical and tactical aspects. In this context the coach can influence with individual or group corrections transmitting their philosophy in an efficient manner.
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Soccer Tactics
4 vs 2: Positive and negative transition
Transition - Simplified game to train keeping and regaining possession, working on transition -
Soccer Tactics
Conditioned game: possession and immediate recovery of the ball - Barcelona FC
Possession - Conditioned game to improve ball possession and transitions, immediate recovery of the ball in the zone where it has been lost -
Soccer Tactics
Peripheral vision: ball possession in tight spaces to then play vertically
Awareness - Ball possession to train individual technique and cognitive aspects such as peripheral vision, motor anticipation and reaction -
Soccer Tactics
Game construction with low rhombus scheme and transitions
Transition - Small sided game to develop the ability of constructing the game starting from central defenders, and stimulating transitions -
Soccer Tactics
Transition involving three teams
Possession - Exercise to train several skills such as give and go, pass and space management -
Soccer Tactics
Game construction and penetrative runs by the second line
Playing out from the back - Drill to train players to keep ball possession, transitions, and penetrative runs into the box by the second line -
Athletic Training
4 vs 4 - Technical tactical warm-up
Shooting - Warm-up to train several tactical, technical and physical elements -
Soccer Tactics
5 v 5 - Man-marking
Possession - High-intensity ball possession with man-marking and constant pressure -
Soccer Tactics
Conditioned game: Play with restricted ball touches allowed
Possession - Conditioned game with contrasting tactical concepts of 4-2-3-1 scheme and 4-4-2 scheme with restricted ball touches allowed for the players -
Soccer Technique
Dutch school, single objective: passing
Passing - Exercise to train losing the marker, receiving and passing