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Home/Training Drills/Finishing Drills/Futsal: Pivot Lay-Off Finish
FinishingIntermediate

Futsal: Pivot Lay-Off Finish

Combine through the pivot and finish. Play a clean ball into the target man's feet, hold off the marker while a runner arrives, lay it off first time into the runner's path, and finish low and hard across the keeper into the far corner.

Create your own drill
Live animationFIN
Duration
15 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
22 × 20 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Futsal

Setup & instructions

On a 22x20m area with a futsal goal and keeper, the pivot posts on a mannequin with his back to goal. An ala plays a firm ground ball into the pivot's feet, then a supporting ala runs off him into the middle. The pivot shields with the sole of the foot and lays it off first time into the runner, who sets it and finishes low into the far corner. Play from both sides and rotate the pivot.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Sole-of-the-foot control is not a stylistic flourish borrowed from Brazil. On a hard floor with a heavier low-bounce ball it is the technique that actually works, and it is why the pivot exists as a distinct job in futsal rather than as a transplanted centre-forward.

The reason is mechanical. A ball that barely bounces runs along the floor quickly and predictably, and a foot placed on top of it kills it dead and keeps it under the body, beyond a defender's reach, with the player's own frame between marker and ball. Cushioning it with the inside of the foot in a space this tight lets it run a yard, and a yard is a turnover.

The pass into the pivot decides most of what follows. It goes to the back foot, the one furthest from the marker, so he can shield and turn away from contact rather than into it. A ball played to the front foot forces him to fight for something he should never have had to fight for.

Timing of the supporting run is where this is usually lost. A runner who leaves early arrives before the pivot has settled the ball, and drags his marker into the very space the lay-off was going to use. Arriving as the ball reaches the pivot is the instruction, and it feels late to the player.

Finish first time and low across the keeper. Futsal keepers make themselves large and close the angle quickly from short range, so the far corner along the floor is the highest-percentage target and a raised shot is usually a blocked one.

How to run this drill

  1. Pass into the pivot's back foot. The foot furthest from the marker. A ball to the front foot makes him fight for possession he should have had for free.
  2. Control with the sole, not the inside. A low-bounce ball on a hard floor runs fast and flat. The sole kills it dead and keeps it under the body where a leg cannot reach.
  3. Shield with the body between marker and ball. The pivot is isolated by design in a four-player outfield, so holding possession alone for two seconds is the job description.
  4. Time the run to arrive as the ball does. Leaving early takes your marker into the space the lay-off needs. It should feel late to the runner, which is why it needs rehearsing.
  5. Lay it off first time into the path. A control touch hands the recovering defender the moment back. The pivot's second touch is almost always one too many.
  6. Finish low across the keeper. Futsal keepers close the angle fast and make themselves large from short range, so a raised shot is usually a blocked one.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Pass into the pivot's back foot so he can shield and turn away from the marker
  • Pivot uses the sole of the foot to control and protect the ball
  • Time the supporting run to arrive as the ball reaches the pivot, not before
  • Lay-off first time into the runner's stride, not to his feet
  • Finish low and hard across the keeper into the far corner

Common mistakes

  • Playing the ball to the pivot's front foot, into the marker
  • The runner arriving too early and taking away the lay-off angle
  • Laying off behind the runner so he has to check his stride
  • Snatching at the finish instead of a clean low strike across goal

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a live defender on the pivot instead of the mannequin
  • Pivot must turn and finish himself if the runner is covered
  • One-touch throughout: lay-off and finish both first time

Regressions

  • Pivot receives unmarked to groove the lay-off and finish
  • Two touches allowed for the finisher: set, then shoot
  • Walk the timing of the run before playing at game pace
Equipment
Cones×4
Goals×1
Mannequins×1
Tactical principles
futsal pivotpivot lay-offsole of the foot controlfutsal finishing drilltarget man futsalshielding the ballfutsal combinationlow bounce ballu11 futsal drillfirst time finish
Audience
U11-U12Futsal

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