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Home/Training Drills/Possession Drills/Directional Possession to End Targets
PossessionIntermediate

Directional Possession to End Targets

Keep possession to find and use a free target player, then switch. Circulate to move the defenders, play into the open target on one side, and switch quickly to the target on the other.

Create your own drill
Live animationPOS
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
7
Recommended
Pitch
24 × 18 yd
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format

Setup & instructions

Three players keep the ball from two defenders in a 24x18 yard grid, with a target player at each end. Score a point by playing into a target, who lays it back, then switch and find the other target. Keep the ball to move the defenders and open a target, and switch fast when one end is shut. Rotate the targets and defenders.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Adding a direction changes a possession exercise completely, and it is worth understanding exactly how. In a rondo every pass is equally valid, so a player can always solve pressure by going backwards or sideways with no penalty. Give the game two ends and suddenly there is a wrong way to pass, and roughly half of the comfortable options stop being comfortable.

That is closer to football, where possession is only worth anything if it eventually goes somewhere. The two targets provide the somewhere without turning the exercise into a full game, which keeps the repetition high and the pitch small.

The skill being trained is not really finding a target, it is recognising which one is available. Defenders cannot cover both ends, so one is always more open than the other, and the point is scored by the team that identifies which. A group that keeps trying to force the ball into the crowded end will pass beautifully and score nothing.

Switching after using a target is where the real work happens. Playing in, receiving the lay-off, and then immediately moving the ball to the opposite end means the defenders have to travel the full width having just committed. Two of those in quick succession is usually enough to open something up properly.

The common fault is target players standing still. A target who holds one position is marked within seconds; one who moves along his line to stay opposite the ball is available almost permanently, and that movement is the difference between the exercise flowing and stalling.

How to run this drill

  1. Set targets at each end of the area. Three players circulating against two defenders, with a target player on each end line who lays the ball back when found.
  2. Score by finding a target and receiving the set. The point requires the lay-off to be completed, not just the pass in. That stops the exercise becoming a long ball into a corner.
  3. Identify which end is open. Two defenders cannot cover both. Forcing the ball into the crowded end produces lovely passing and no points, which is the fault to name early.
  4. Switch immediately after the set. Play in, take the lay-off, then move the ball to the opposite end. Defenders who have just committed have to travel the full width to recover.
  5. Targets move along their line. A stationary target is marked within seconds. Sliding to stay opposite the ball keeps him available almost permanently and keeps the game flowing.
  6. Rotate the targets into the middle. The end roles are less demanding than the middle. Swapping regularly keeps the workload even and stops anyone spending the block as a bystander.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Keep to move the defenders, not for its own sake
  • Recognise which target is open and play the moment it is
  • Target receives and lays it back on the half turn
  • Switch quickly when one end is closed off
  • Support on angles so there are always two ways out

Common mistakes

  • Keeping the ball with no intent to use a target
  • Forcing it into a marked target
  • Slow to switch when the near end is shut
  • Flat support, offering no angle to the target

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • One or two touches only
  • Add a defender to press the targets
  • Score double for switching end to end in one sequence

Regressions

  • Add a spare player for a 4v2 in the middle
  • Make the defenders passive to groove the switch
  • Widen the grid to open the passing lanes
Equipment
Cones×2
Markers×2
Tactical principles
directional possessiontarget playerspossession with a purposepossession drillswitching between targetskeep ball gameplaying forwardend zone possessionfinding the free manu12 possession drill
Audience
U11-U12

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All Possession drillsAll drill collectionsPossession for U11-U12

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