4, 3, 2 passing

WHY USE IT

This activity is hard because it involves accurate passing under pressure, realignment and a tough decision-making element at the end. At each of the three stages, the players might find their rhythm broken by a poor piece of handling.

set up

Three 10m staggered boxes and a ball.

HOW TO PLAY

ACTIVITY: Put four attackers at one end of the first channel and two defenders about 7m away (you can adjust this to suit your team’s skills). The attackers run forward and pass the ball to the end player. The defenders mark the first two players and pressurise them (4v2). Once the end player has received the ball, they put it down and become a feeder. The attackers realign into the middle box while the defenders realign at the other end. The feeder releases the ball, again with the defenders pressurising the first two attackers (3v2). The last player becomes the feeder for the final box, where there is a full on 2v2.

DEVELOPMENTS: Allow the defenders to drift out, but with full tackling. The players must still realign to start the next box and the feeder must still run to the corner before they pass.

COACHING POINTS

• Fix a defender by running straight and passing the ball quickly.
• Keep moving the ball with short passes.
• Attack at pace, so hold the depth.