Exercises › Game exercise

1v1 on goal: the ladder with small goals

• 12 min
• 6–24 players
• 5v5
• 7v7
• 9v9
• 11v11
• Finishing & Scoring
• Technique & Skills

Courts about 12 x 8 m in a row, court 1 at the top. Each court has a small goal at each end and one ball. Two players meet on each court. The coach or a waiting player rolls the ball out into the middle and whoever gets there first takes it. A goal counts when the ball goes into either goal. Play 90 seconds or first to three goals. The winner moves one court up, the loser one court down. Randomise the starting places: every player draws a slip or a cone with a court number, so nobody is picked. With an odd number, keep a rest court at the bottom where one player waits and is swapped in. On a draw both stay put, or play 20 seconds of extra time. The players practise attacking, finishing and defending in the same drill, constantly switching between attacker and defender. Progression: a shot from outside a marked zone does not count, or the finish must be with the weak foot.

What the coach should look for

• Dare to shoot as soon as the chance is there.
• Take your first touch in the shooting direction.
• As a defender: stand between the ball and the goal and slow down.
• Switch role straight away when the ball changes hands.

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