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Free activity · 100 Possession ActivitiesWin-It-Back Boxes
Several 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. Sixty-second rounds; winners move up a box, losers move down.
Setup
Several 12x12 boxes, 2v2 in each.
How it works
- Five passes is a point. Lose the ball and you have five seconds to win it back: do it and score two.
- Sixty-second rounds. Winners move up a box, losers move down.
- Balls out of the box restart with the team that did not touch it last.
Scoring
Highest box after four rounds wins.
- Nearest player presses the ball at once.
- Partner covers the pass, not the player.
- Win it, then keep it. The point is the possession.
Make it easier or harder
- Progression 1: Four passes is a point; a win-back is three.
- Progression 2: A mini goal 8 yards outside each box: win it back and score inside five seconds for three.
Coach’s notes
- If It Stalls: Legs gone? Forty-second rounds and forty seconds rest.
Why it works
Two against two in a box is a fitness session disguised as a game. The win-back bonus is worth more than the possession points, so losing the ball becomes a trigger rather than a failure.
Partner work is the tactical lesson: the nearest player presses the ball, the partner covers the pass, not the player. Watch for pairs who both chase the ball.
Where it sits
This is activity 82 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.
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Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionWin and Go3v3 on a 20x15 with a mini goal at each end.
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Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionTransition GameA full 9v9 with nothing marked and one rule: every time possession changes, the bench calls it.
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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.