Tricky pictures

Your challenge is to maintain players’ skills under pressure so you constantly test their decision making. Here is a series of exercises to create a number of pictures (situations where defenders approach from different angles) that the players might face in a game.

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

What to think about

Decision making exercises give you a chance to step back and let the players offer their own solutions. They must work these out by “doing”. Because the game picture changes so rapidly, depending on the personnel involved, you should not give too many pointers on what to do. However, you should make sure players adhere to these key areas.

• In tight spaces, firm passes ensure defenders cannot move easily from passer to receiver.
• Go forward at pace.
• Communicate early, and communicate accurately.

set-up

1. Attack the space at pace.
2. Look up as you are getting into position and identify where the spaces are.
3. Communicate and execute with purpose.

What you get your players to do

Put four attackers at one end of the corridor and spread three defenders throughout the length of the corridor. When the attack advance, all the defenders run forward to defend. If the attack get to the other end, they go around the central cone to attack through the next corridor. Defenders have to run back around the cone at the other end to defend again. Use full contact and restart if there are infringements.