Exercises › Game exercise

2v2 ladder with random pairs

• 15 min
• 8–24 players
• 5v5
• 7v7
• 9v9
• 11v11
• Build-up play
• Organized defending

Courts about 15 x 10 m in a row, court 1 at the top, two small goals per court. Play 2 minutes or first to three goals, the winning pair up and the losing pair 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. What is different: the pairs are redrawn every third round, so each player plays with many different partners. Give each player a slip with a number and draw new pairs from a pile. The players learn to combine with different types of players, talk more and take responsibility for the team. Track each player’s own best court over the whole session (not the pair’s), so a player who keeps getting new partners can still see their progress.

What the coach should look for

• Introduce yourself to your new partner and quickly agree who does what.
• Talk all the time: call who presses and who covers.
• Make yourself available in the direction your partner wants you.
• Praise the teamwork, not just the goals.

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