3 Small-sided games to vary your training

Game 1: DEFENDERS OUT  – ATTACKERS IN

How to play it

• Set up a pitch (e.g. a circle, hexagon) for a 4 v 3 game with multiple goals (here 3 are shown) in the middle of the playing area
• 3 attackers (yellow) play against 3 defenders (blue) in the playing area
• 3 additional players from both teams wait outside the area
• If the attackers (yellow) score then the game stops and the waiting players replace the players and restart the game
• If the defenders (blue) win possession of the ball they try to play the ball out to their waiting players who then become the attacking players and the 3 yellows that were attacking change to defenders against the new players entering the pitch
• Hence the game is continuous until a goal is scored.

 

 

 

Game 2: THE SWEEPER GAME

How to play it

• Play a small sided game of 7 v 7
• Each player pairs up with a player from the opposite team and they will man mark each  other through the game
• However each team also has a ‘sweeper’ who doesn’t have to man mark anyone – but they are restricted to their own half and are limited to three touches

 

 

 

Game 3: SQUARE, SIDEWAYS AND DIAGONAL

How to play it

• In this game one team (yellow) plays without any conditions whilst the other team (blue) plays with the following restriction;

 

- They cannot repeat a pass – i.e. a square pass (forwards or backwards) cannot follow a square pass, a sideways pass cannot follow a sideways pass, a diagonal pass cannot follow a diagonal pass