Transitions drills for U11-U12

Long balls are decided twice. The first contest is in the air and the second, on the floor, is the one that decides possession.

Isolate the first action of a counter-attack. Receive under pressure, take one positive touch away from the defender, drive forward and release the runner.

A 3v2 in futsal expires in about three seconds. Recovery distances are tiny, so hesitation does not cost a yard, it costs the advantage.

The counter starts in the keeper's hands. A team that has just shot at goal is committed forward and has nobody watching the outlet.

Adding a fourth attacker makes a counter slower, not more dangerous. The extra option invites a pass where a run was needed.

Even numbers change what a transition drill teaches. There is no spare man, so the advantage has to come from reacting first.

Two against two removes every excuse. Each player attacks, defends, presses and recovers, and the turnover is always their problem.

The game scaled down. 4v4 in a 25x18 box scoring in end zones, where the five seconds after losing the ball decide almost everything.

Three against two gives you a spare man, and the commonest way to waste him is to find him before the defender has committed.