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Free activity · 100 Possession ActivitiesSwarm and Score
Three teams of four on a 40x30 with keepers. Two play, and the third team acts as bounce players on the touchlines. Lose the ball, win it back in five seconds, and your next goal counts double.
Setup
A 40x30 with keepers. Three teams of four. Two play; the third are bounce players on the touchlines for whoever has the ball.
How it works
- Lose the ball and you have five seconds to win it back. Do it and your next goal counts double.
- Rotate teams every three minutes.
- Bounce players have two touches.
Scoring
Most goals over three rotations.
- Lost it: swarm. Won it: can we go forward?
- The player who lost it leads the press.
- Bounce players: keep the ball moving so the press has to work.
Make it easier or harder
- Progression 1: Bounce players have one touch.
- Progression 2: No bounce players. A win-back inside five seconds in the attacking half is a goal by itself.
Coach’s notes
- If It Stalls: Nobody reacting? The coach counts five out loud, then the bench does.
Why it works
The second coaching point is the one to watch. The player who lost the ball often drops their head. Here they have to lead the press, which turns a mistake into a job.
Bounce players make it harder and more realistic. The ball keeps moving, so the press has to be organized, not just busy.
Where it sits
This is activity 84 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 9 · Win It Back: Counter-Pressing). The book is ten themes of ten rungs each, from a 3v1 square to a full 9v9 transition game, and every activity has its setup, rules, scoring, two progressions, three coaching points and an animated video like the one above.
More like this
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionWin-It-Back BoxesSeveral 12x12 boxes with a 2v2 in each. Five passes is a point, and if you lose the ball you have five seconds to win it back for two.
Open the activity ›
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionPress the First PassWhen you lose it, the nearest two press the very next pass.
Open the activity ›
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionPress to GoalLose it near their goal, win it back in five seconds, and score for three.
Open the activity ›All ten rungs of this theme, and nine more themes
100 Possession Activities is a 115-page PDF with 100 animated MP4 videos: rondos, playing out from the back, through the lines, support, switching, overloads, movement, timing, counter-pressing and counter-attacks. Print the page, watch the clip, run the session.