Rapid line breakers

The ability of your players to find that crucial half gap in a defence gives your team go forward momentum. This session works on executing the right footwork and support play to exploit line breaks.

Warm up time: 5-7
Session time: 10-12
Development time: 10-12
Game time: 15-20
Warm down time: 5-7

What to think about

A line break is not always a clean break. However, the key to breaking the defensive line must be speed through the potential contact area. Too often, a ball carrier will “step and dance” too much and lose his momentum. Encourage your players to have conviction through the contact area. All players should have a plan with ball in hand to break the line. Some will be more direct than others. But use this session to build the continuity of play once the break has been made. This exercise includes a crucial role for the support player.

set-up

1. Attack the spaces between defenders by attacking the defender first, then the space, as in the top picture.
2. Support players must get in behind the ball carrier and then offer either close support or an offload option.

What you get your players to do

Mark out two channels inside the square with cones (see the middle picture) and put three defenders at the end of the channels.

Have a feeder pass to one of two attackers. The defenders can only move forward once the attackers move into the channels inside the box.

The attackers can pass the ball at any stage, but cannot run outside the channels. They aim to score at the far end.