Switching Play - Thinking Ahead Warm Up

Introduction:

This practice is a great warm up to introduce some basic coaching points for a switch of play, to get your players moving and thinking one step ahead of the game. It also fits brilliantly with our rondo practices, with plenty of opportunity to practice short, sharp passing in a confined space, but with the added factor of then switching the play into a new area at the right moment.

The important thing we're trying to coach here is thinking ahead. The practice itself isn't the most realistic in terms of the actual technique of switching play as we're in quite a small area, so you would want to combine this with moving into a more game-realistic practice afterwards. But it introduces the idea that you have to start supporting the player the ball is being switched to as the player making the switch shapes up to play the pass (or even before that if you see it coming). If you wait, it's too late.

Setup:

• 16 x 32 yard area (adapt size for numbers / age of players)
• Split into 3 zones lengthways (see below) - 2 larger end zone and one smaller central zone.
• One neutral player in each end zone.
• Play 4v4 in one of the end zones (no players in central zone) - adapt size if you want to play 3v3 or 5v5 etc.
• Coach at side with spare footballs.

Basic Rules:

Phase 1 - the players in one of the end zones combine to play 5 passes before they are allowed to switch the play to the other end zone

• Team in possession must try to complete X number of passes within their end zone (start with 4 and reduce / increase based on ability / success / how the practice is going - we want to try and create lots of switches of play, so if the players are struggling, reduce to 3 passes for example)
• Neutral players play for the team in possession, but only the neutral player in the same end zone as the rest of the players is "active" until X passes completed. This means a 5v4 in the end zone where play is happening.
• Once X passes are completed, team looks to play a longer range pass (a switch of play) into the neutral player in the other end zone. Note - they don't have to make the pass directly after the Xth pass the switch. If it isn't on, they can continue to play around until it is on.
• Teams transition to the other end zone to support the neutral player who has just receieved the ball and play continues with the same team in possession who played the pass (so if whites switched the play, the neutral player must pass to an arriving white player)
• Repeat X number of passes to then switch back to the original end zone. Continue like this, switching between the 2 zones after every X completed passes.
• 1 point for each completed pass. 5 points for a successful switch of play.
• Reset to zero if the team loses possession or the ball goes out of play.
• If the other team wins the ball, they are now the team in possession and try to complete X passes.
• Play for 4 minutes, then announce a winner of that "round" and repeat.
• Rotate neutral players.
• Coach sends in a new ball immediately if the existing one goes off - keep players on their toes.