Score on the counter before the opposition reorganises. Play forward with the first pass, run beyond the ball, carry at speed into the space, and finish inside about eight seconds of winning it.
On a full pitch, the attacking team wins the ball deep in its own half and counters against recovering defenders. Set a target: the attack must be finished within about eight seconds. Coach the first pass forward, the runners going beyond the ball, and the carrier driving into space rather than dribbling sideways. Defenders sprint to recover, pressing the ball while a teammate gives depth. Eight repetitions, and rotate who defends.
Counter-attacks have a window of roughly eight seconds. That is about how long a reasonably organised side takes to get bodies back and reform, and it is shorter than most players imagine. After that the defence is set, the space in behind has gone, and what began as a counter is now a slow attack against a compact block.
Everything the drill asks for follows from that clock. The first action has to be forward, because a sideways pass buys the defence a second it spends turning and running. The runner has to be released early, before defenders have got their heads round, since a ball into the space in front of a turning defender is worth three played to feet. And the carry has to be at speed, which specifically means not slowing down to look for a better option.
The part almost nobody coaches is the ending. A player who has decided he is on a counter-attack will keep forcing it long after the window has shut, and a through ball hammered into a set defence gives the ball back in a dangerous area. Recognising that the counter has failed, and settling for keeping possession, is a real skill and it deserves praise in the same tone as a goal.
The trade-off is worth stating too. Counter-attacking means committing players forward at the moment your own shape is at its worst, so a counter that breaks down badly is exactly how teams concede. That is the price of the eight seconds, and players should understand they are paying it.
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.