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Home/Training Drills/Possession Drills/Breaking Down a Low Block
PossessionAdvanced

Breaking Down a Low Block

Break down a low block. Probe and recirculate to shift a compact defence to one side, then switch quickly to the free man on the far side to penetrate and finish before they recover.

Create your own drill
Live animationPOS
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
6
Recommended
Pitch
52 × 40 m
Setup space
Level
Advanced
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U13-U14
Any format

Setup & instructions

The attackers work the ball in front of a deep, compact two-defender block. Probe one side to draw the block across, recirculate to commit it, then switch the play quickly to the free man on the far side to penetrate and finish. Emphasise patience to move them and speed of the switch to punish the gap. Vary the side and rotate the block.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Against a low block there is no space, by definition. A team that has chosen to defend deep and narrow has removed the space in front of its goal on purpose, so an attacking side is not looking for a gap that already exists. It is manufacturing one, and manufacturing takes time, which is why hurrying is the most common and most self-defeating error in this situation.

The mechanism is that the ball moves the block. A defence sliding to one side is compact where the ball is and thinner on the far side, and each recirculation shifts it again. Nothing else available to an attacking team moves eight organised defenders. Individual brilliance occasionally beats a low block; moving the ball reliably does.

Which means probing on one side is not wasted possession even when it goes nowhere. It is the setup. Players find this hard to believe because the passes look unproductive, and it is worth telling them explicitly that the fifteen passes are what makes the sixteenth possible.

The switch has to be quick when it comes, and recognising the moment is the actual skill. The trigger is the far-side defender pinching in. Once he has, the ball has to travel faster than he can recover, which usually means one long pass rather than three short ones.

Name the risk plainly. Committing bodies forward against a team that has ten behind the ball is exactly the shape they want, because low blocks are usually paired with counter-attacks. Somebody stays home, and that decision is made before the attack starts, not during it.

How to run this drill

  1. Accept that you are making space, not finding it. A deep defence has removed the space deliberately. Hurrying looks like intent and guarantees you attack a set block.
  2. Move the ball to move the block. Nothing else available reliably shifts eight organised defenders. Individual brilliance sometimes works, circulation always does.
  3. Probe one side to draw them across. The unproductive-looking passes are the setup. Tell players that the fifteen passes are what makes the sixteenth possible.
  4. Watch for the far defender pinching in. That is the trigger. Until he tucks inside there is nothing on the far side worth switching to, however open it looks.
  5. Switch in one pass, not three. The ball has to travel faster than the defender can recover, and three short passes give him exactly the time he needs.
  6. Decide who stays home before you start. Low blocks are paired with counter-attacks. Committing bodies forward without cover is the shape the opponent is hoping for.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Move the ball to move the block, be patient
  • Probe one side to draw them across
  • Recognise the moment the far side opens
  • Switch quickly before they recover shape
  • Penetrate and finish the opening at once

Common mistakes

  • Forcing it centrally into the block
  • Slow switch, letting them recover their shape
  • No patience: forcing a low-percentage pass
  • Not attacking the gap the instant it opens

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a third defender to make the block harder
  • Limit touches to speed up the switch
  • Reward a penetrating pass through the block too

Regressions

  • Passive block to groove the pattern
  • Bigger area and more time to probe
  • Walk the shift and switch first
Equipment
Cones×1
Full Goals×1
Tactical principles
breaking down a low blockattacking a deep defenceprobing and recirculatingmoving the blockswitching to the far sidepatience in possessionu14 possession drillcreating spacecompact defencefinal third entry
Audience
U13-U14

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