TeloframeTeloframe
Features
For CoachesFor ClubsPricingLibraryDrills
Sign inStart free
Teloframe

The Coach OS for football. Plan, run, observe, reflect, develop, one loop, one tool.

Product
Tactics boardDrill editorSession plannerMatch dayPlayer developmentClub workspaceAI assistantExport and sharingAll features
Explore
Tactics librarySession plansDrill libraryFormationsGuidesVideo tutorials
Use cases
Coaches and academiesContent creatorsSession planner softwareTactics board software
Company
PricingFAQContactOpen Teloframe
© 2026 Teloframe. Built for serious staff.PrivacyTermsSafeguardingSecurityDPASubprocessorsCookies All systems normal
TeloframeTeloframe
Features
For CoachesFor ClubsPricingLibraryDrills
Sign inStart free
/
/
/
Teloframe

The Coach OS for football. Plan, run, observe, reflect, develop, one loop, one tool.

Product
Tactics boardDrill editorSession plannerMatch dayPlayer developmentClub workspaceAI assistantExport and sharingAll features
Explore
Tactics librarySession plansDrill libraryFormationsGuidesVideo tutorials
Use cases
Coaches and academiesContent creatorsSession planner softwareTactics board software
Company
PricingFAQContactOpen Teloframe
© 2026 Teloframe. Built for serious staff.PrivacyTermsSafeguardingSecurityDPASubprocessorsCookies All systems normal
TeloframeTeloframe
Features
For CoachesFor ClubsPricingLibraryDrills
Sign inStart free
Home/Training Drills/Finishing Drills/Beat the First Man, Then Go
FinishingIntermediate

Beat the First Man, Then Go

Train the very short combination that beats a tight defender, and link it to what happens next. Players learn to play a one-two at close quarters, then release past a second line and carry the ball into a shooting position.

Create your own drill
Live animationFIN
Duration
14 min
Total drill time
Players
7
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U13-U14
Any format

Setup & instructions

Set one mannequin as the first defender and three more as a second line nearer the goal, with a full goal and keeper. The player on the ball plays a short one-two around the first mannequin, receives it moving forward, then releases a pass of about ten metres past the second line. The receiver carries the ball eight or nine metres and finishes. Keep the first exchange genuinely tight, within two or three metres. Run several balls and rotate through every role.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Most one-two practices are played at ten metres, which is comfortable and largely misses the point. A wall pass at ten metres is just two passes. The version that actually beats somebody is played at two or three, right on top of the defender, in the space where he can nearly reach it and where a heavy touch is fatal.

This drill puts the first exchange there deliberately. The lone mannequin is the first defender, and the combination happens close enough to it that the pass and the return both have to be precise. Widen that exchange and the drill still runs, but it has stopped training the thing that is hard.

What makes it more than a technical exercise is what comes after. Beating the first man is only useful if you can then do something, and the sequence immediately demands a ten metre release past a second line, followed by a carry and a finish. Players quickly discover that a scruffy one-two, even a successful one, leaves them off balance and facing the wrong way for the pass that follows. The quality of the first exchange shows up two seconds later, which is exactly how it works in a match.

The common failure is timing rather than technique. Players get through the first mannequin, then hold the ball while they look up, and by the time they release it the second line is on them and the pass has to go backwards. The release should be made early, while there is still space to play into, which means deciding where it goes before the return even arrives.

How to run this drill

  1. Play the one-two at two metres. Close to the defender is where a wall pass actually beats someone. At ten metres it is just two passes and nobody has been taken out of the game.
  2. Return it into the forward space. The support player is not giving the ball back, he is putting it beyond the mannequin. A return to feet leaves the defender still in front of you.
  3. Take the return moving. Receiving it standing still gives back the advantage the combination just won. You should already be running as the ball comes.
  4. Release early, past the second line. Holding the ball to look up lets the next line close, and then the only pass left goes backwards. Decide where it goes before the return arrives.
  5. Big touches through the gap, short ones near goal. Once you are past the second line the ground is empty. Push it and run, then shorten the touches as the keeper comes into range.
  6. Set the last touch for the strike. The finish is decided one touch before it happens. Arriving with the ball under your feet means adjusting at the moment you should be striking.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • The first one-two is two metres, not ten: play it close to the mannequin
  • Support player returns it first time and into the forward space
  • Take the return moving forward, never standing still
  • Release past the second line early, before you are on top of it
  • Carry with big touches once you are through, then shorten near goal
  • Set the last touch so the finish is a natural stride

Common mistakes

  • Playing the one-two too wide, which turns a tight combination into an easy square pass
  • Taking a touch on the return and losing the forward momentum
  • Releasing the ball late, when the second line is already on top of you
  • Carrying in short touches and arriving at the goal with no strike available

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Replace the first mannequin with a live defender
  • First-time release after the one-two, no touch to set
  • Finish first time rather than after the carry

Regressions

  • Widen the first exchange to four or five metres
  • Remove the second line of mannequins
  • Allow extra touches on the carry
Equipment
Mannequins×4
Markers×3
Tactical principles
one two drill footballbeating the first defender drilltight combination play drillfinishing drill footballwall pass drillcarrying the ball drillu13 finishing drillattacking combination drillplaying through a lineclose control passing drill
Audience
U13-U14

Make it yours

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

Explore more drills

LIBRARY
All Finishing drillsAll drill collectionsFinishing for U13-U14

Ready to run this drill?

Save it to your private drills, then change the animation, adjust positions, swap equipment, or drop it into a session block. Or start from a blank pitch and build your own.

Library Create your own drill
Teloframe

The Coach OS for football. Plan, run, observe, reflect, develop, one loop, one tool.

Product
Tactics boardDrill editorSession plannerMatch dayPlayer developmentClub workspaceAI assistantExport and sharingAll features
Explore
Tactics librarySession plansDrill libraryFormationsGuidesVideo tutorials
Use cases
Coaches and academiesContent creatorsSession planner softwareTactics board software
Company
PricingFAQContactOpen Teloframe
© 2026 Teloframe. Built for serious staff.PrivacyTermsSafeguardingSecurityDPASubprocessorsCookies All systems normal