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Home/Training Drills/Possession Drills/3v3 to Goals: Overload (4v3)
PossessionBeginner

3v3 to Goals: Overload (4v3)

Find and use the spare man. With an extra player there is always someone free, so the job is to recognise where the overload is, move the ball there quickly, and finish the move rather than forcing it into the crowd.

Create your own drill
Live animationPOS
Duration
16 min
Total drill time
Players
9
Recommended
Pitch
34 × 22 m
Setup space
Level
Beginner
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U6-U8
5v5

Setup & instructions

Play the 3v3 game exactly as normal, but give the team in possession a spare player so it is always four against three; the spare switches to whoever wins the ball. Coach them to find the free man rather than forcing it. As the group settles, take the spare player away and go back to the even game, which is the real test.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Four against three should score most of the time, and young teams reliably do not. The frustration is visible: they have an extra man, they can see they have an extra man, and they still lose the ball. An overload guarantees somebody is free and guarantees nothing else, because it is only worth anything if the ball reaches the free player before he stops being free.

Which is the actual lesson, and it is about speed rather than vision. The spare man exists continuously, but not the same spare man. Whoever is free changes every second or two as defenders adjust, so a team that takes three touches deciding will pass to a player who was open when they started looking.

The spare player has his own job and it is the one children get wrong. Showing for the ball, moving into a line where a pass can actually reach him, rather than standing behind a defender being technically unmarked. Unmarked and unavailable is the most common picture in an eight-year-old overload.

Worth telling the attacking side plainly: with four against three you should score most of the time, and if you are not, the problem is how fast you are playing rather than who you are playing to.

The part coaches undersell is that the defending three are getting the harder and more valuable lesson. Being outnumbered forces them to prioritise, protect the middle, delay rather than dive in, and work as a unit, which is a richer defensive problem than three against three ever presents. Rotate the overload so everybody spends time on that side.

How to run this drill

  1. Move the ball faster than they can adjust. The free man changes every second or two. Three touches spent deciding finds a player who was open when you started looking.
  2. Recognise where the overload actually is. It is not always the extra player. Whoever the defence has left is the spare man, and that is a different person each time.
  3. The spare player must show for it. Standing behind a defender is unmarked and unavailable, which is the most common picture in an eight-year-old overload.
  4. Finish the move rather than forcing it. Playing into the crowd because it is nearer wastes the advantage. Four against three should score most of the time.
  5. Coach the defending three deliberately. Being outnumbered forces prioritising, protecting the middle and delaying rather than diving in. It is the richer problem of the two.
  6. Rotate so everyone defends outnumbered. The team left on the three is getting the more valuable lesson, so nobody should spend the whole session on the comfortable side.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Find the free man: with four against three, someone is always open
  • Move the ball quickly, an overload only helps if the ball travels
  • Spare player shows for it rather than hiding behind a defender
  • Once you are free and facing goal, take the chance on
  • Defenders: stay compact and make them play round you, not through

Common mistakes

  • Forcing the ball into the crowded side while the free man waits
  • The spare player standing still instead of showing for it
  • Moving the ball too slowly, letting three defenders cover four
  • Treating the overload as a rest rather than a chance to attack

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Remove the spare player and go back to the even 3v3 base game
  • Limit the spare player to two touches
  • Reward a goal scored through the free man double

Regressions

  • Add a second spare player for a 5v3
  • Bigger pitch so the overload has more room to show
  • Defenders passive until the group can complete the pattern
Equipment
Cones×2
Full Goals×2
Tactical principles
4v3 overload3v3 to goals overloadusing the spare manattacking overload gamedefending outnumberedsmall sided gameu8 possession gamemoving the ball quicklyshowing for the ballfinding the free player
Audience
U6-U85v5

Make it yours

Save this drill to your private library, then tweak the animation, swap equipment, or drop it into a session.

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LIBRARY
All Possession drillsAll drill collectionsPossession for U6-U8Possession for 5v5

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