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Free activities · By topicAngles and support drills
5 free, with video
The player on the ball only ever needs two things: an option ahead and an option behind, both on an angle. These drills make players move after they pass, arrive at the right distance, and stop hiding behind defenders.
What it means
Support means giving the player on the ball somewhere to pass. An angle means standing where the pass can actually reach you. A teammate directly behind a defender is close but no use. One or two steps to the side and the lane is open.
The habit behind it is Help the Ball. Most players stop helping the moment they pass, and they stand and watch. The fix is not more shouting. It is a rule that makes moving the only way to score, and that is what these drills do.
What to coach
- Pass, then go. Never watch.
- Angles, not straight lines.
- Never hide behind the defender: get to the side of them.
- One in front, one behind, always.
The ladder
Every theme in 100 Possession Activities climbs the same way. Rungs 1 to 3 are rondos for the start of a session. Rungs 4 to 7 are the middle: direction, goals, decisions. Rungs 8 to 10 are games with one rule. These are free:
Rung 1 · 4v1Pass and Move SquareA 4v1 rondo with one rule that changes everything: after you pass, you must move to a different side of the square before you can receive again.
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Rung 2 · 3v1Traveling TriangleThree attackers with one ball travel down a 10x30 channel against a defender who may only walk, keeping a triangle around the defender the whole way.
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Rung 3 · 5v2Angles RondoNobody may receive in a corner, or in a straight line with a defender.
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Rung 4 · 6v3Support Ahead and BehindAlways one ahead and one behind. Back then forward counts double.
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Rung 5 · 3v2Wall Passes to GoalWaves of 3v2 to goal, and a one-two doubles the score.
Open the activity ›Rungs 6 to 10 are in the book
- 6Four Corners Support4v4+4 · 12 players
- 7Third-Man Rondo5v2 · 7 players
- 8Support in Three Lines7v5 · 12 players
- 9Overlap and Underlap4v3 · 9 players
- 10Support Game8v8 · 16 players
Build a session from it
One idea, start to finish. Change the topic next week and keep the rondo.
- Start, 10 min: Pass and Move Square
- Middle, 20 min: Support Ahead and Behind
- Middle, 20 min: Wall Passes to Goal
- Finish, 25 min or more: Play your normal game with one rule: a goal counts double if the move included a one-two.
Keep going
Questions about angles and support
What is a passing angle in soccer?
It is a clear line between the ball and a teammate. If a defender stands on that line, the pass is off. A step or two to the side opens it again.
How do you teach support play to young players?
Start with a rule, not a speech. In Pass and Move Square you must move to a new side after every pass. In Angles Rondo nobody can receive in a corner, or in a straight line with a defender.
Why is a back pass good support?
Because it changes the angle. In Support Ahead and Behind a pass backward followed by a pass forward counts double, which shows players that the back pass is often how you go forward.
Or pick by number of players
Rungs 6 to 10 of this ladder are in the book
100 Possession Activities has all ten rungs of every theme, right up to the full game that keeps the idea alive. 115 pages and 100 animated videos, one activity per page. Print the page, watch the clip, run the session.