Exercises › Game exercise

2v2 ladder with a passing rule

• 14 min
• 8–24 players
• 7v7
• 9v9
• 11v11
• 5v5
• Build-up play
• Finishing & Scoring

The same set-up as the 2v2 ladder: courts about 15 x 10 m in a row, two small goals per court, pairs meeting for 2 minutes or first to three goals, winners up and losers 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 rule that creates decisions: a goal only counts if the pair has passed at least once before the finish. Sharpen the rule for stronger pairs: a goal only after a wall pass (pass, get the ball back first time), or only if the finish is first time. This trains the pairs to combine, create space for each other and read each other’s movement. The image shows the rule on one court: pass first, then finish.

What the coach should look for

• Pass and go straight away.
• The wall player returns the ball first time.
• Use a decoy run to create space for your partner.
• Finish at once when the chance is there, without an extra touch.

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