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Free activities · By topicCounter-attacking drills
6 free, with video
Possession is not the aim. Goals are. The moment you win the ball is often the best moment to attack, because the other team is out of shape. These drills teach fast, direct play: keep it when you must, go when you can.
What it means
A counter-attack is an attack made in the seconds after you win the ball, while the other team is out of shape. Players have pushed forward, the defense is not set, and the space behind them is open.
The habit behind it is Forward When It’s On. The first look after a win is forward. If it is on, go. If it is not, keep the ball and attack again. Teams that try to counter every time give the ball straight back, so these drills teach the choice as well as the speed.
What to coach
- Win it and look forward first.
- Nearest player goes with the ball; the others run beyond.
- The moment it is won: one pass forward, then support.
- Where did we win it? That decides the speed.
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 · 3v3Win and Go3v3 on a 20x15 with a mini goal at each end.
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Rung 2 · 4v2 to 4v4Break From the RondoWin the ball in the rondo and break out 4v4 to goal.
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Rung 3 · 4v4Transition to Two GoalsSix seconds after you win it, a goal counts double.
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Rung 4 · 5v5+GKCounter From the PressPress, win it, and counter on goal inside eight seconds.
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Rung 5 · 6v6Fast or SlowWin it high and go. Win it low and keep it. Where you win it decides the speed.
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Rung 10 · 9v9Transition GameA full 9v9 with nothing marked and one rule: every time possession changes, the bench calls it.
Open the activity ›Rungs 6 to 9 are in the book
- 6Outnumbered Counter3v2 to 5v4 · 10 players
- 7Transition Rondo6v3 x 2 · 12 players
- 8Counter to Finish7v7 · 14 players
- 9Keep It or Go8v8 · 16 players
Build a session from it
One idea, start to finish. Change the topic next week and keep the rondo.
- Start, 10 min: Break From the Rondo
- Middle, 20 min: Counter From the Press
- Middle, 20 min: Fast or Slow
- Finish, 25 min or more: Finish with the Transition Game, the top rung of the ladder, or play your normal game with one rule: a goal inside ten seconds of winning the ball counts double.
Keep going
Questions about counter-attacking
How do you coach counter-attacking in youth soccer?
Give players a clock. In Win and Go a goal inside eight seconds counts double, and in Transition to Two Goals the clock is six. Players start looking forward first without being told.
When should a team counter and when should it keep the ball?
A useful rule is where you won it. Win it near their goal and go. Win it near your own and keep it until the shape is right. Fast or Slow turns that rule into a game.
What is transition in soccer?
Transition is the moment the ball changes teams. Attacking transition is what you do right after winning it, and defending transition is what you do right after losing it. The Transition Game trains both at full size.
Or pick by number of players
Rungs 6 to 9 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.