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Football Training Drills: Small Sided Games

In SSG based football coaching sessions the number of players per team can vary from 6 v 6 to 9 v 9 (but the fundamental factors remain consistent). Small sided games provide both teams with a direction to play in and allows the realism to increase and also requires players to consider their positional responsibilities.

6 v 6: 4 Goals: In this football training exercise players must defend goals that are in wide areas, therefore they must force play inside.
Orientation: Defending   Objective: Dictating / Dispossess		 View Session
Build an Attack from the Back: This coaching session looks to highlight the main principles and moves to accomplish playing out from the back.
Orientation: Attacking    Objective: Support Play		 View Session
Creating Space 6 v 6: Crucial to a team’s attacking success is the ability to create and utilise space, therefore this one of numerous football coaching sessions that seeks to educate players how to generate as much space as possible.
Orientation: Attacking    Objective: Support Play		 View Session
Creating Space 9 v 9: Similar to the above football session but the number of players involved has increased.
Orientation: Attacking    Objective: Support Play		 View Session
Crossing and Finishing: A football drill designed to educate the player's how to act when the ball is out wide and a crossing opportunity arises.
Orientation: Attacking    Objective: Finishing		 View Session
Defending Against Counter Attacks: A coaching session to educate players' on their roles and responsibilities when possession is lost and the opposition attempt to break quickly.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Delaying		 View Session
Defending Crosses 6 v 6: This football coaching session looks to show players how to defend from crosses delivered into the area from a wide position.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Clearance		 View Session
Defensive Zones: This football coaching session can be used to focus the attention of the player's to the areas of the pitch they should pressurise and win back the ball.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Dispossess		 View Session
Defending 6 v 6: An SSG based football drill that looks to educate players how to defend as a team.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Dictate / Dispossess		 View Session
Defending 8 v 8: This football session looks to show players how they should defend in a match situation. Like many of the football coaching drills in this section, this one can focus on more than one aspect of a players performance.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Dictate / Dispossess / Delaying		 View Session
Dribble to Shoot: This football coaching session has been developed to educate players how to commit and beat defenders in order to get a strike at goal. Like many of the football coaching drills in this section, this one can focus on more than one aspect of a players performance.
Orientation: Attacking      Objectives: Dribbling / Finishing		 View Session
Forward Passing: An essential attacking basic is being able to get the ball forward or else goal scoring opportunities will never arise, therefore that is the focus of this football training exercise.
Orientation: Attacking      Objectives: Support Play / Passing		 View Session
Improve Shallow Crossing: The technique of crossing from shallow positions is slightly different to deeper crosses, therefore each should be fully understood.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Crossing		 View Session
Longer Distance Finishing: This coaching session looks to educate player's how to strike at goal from a longer distance.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Finishing		 View Session
Protecting the Ball Under Pressure: Players should learn how to protect the ball in highly pressurised situations, therefore that is the focus of this football coaching drill.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Close Control		 View Session
Running with the Ball: Covering ground very quickly with the ball is a very good way to turn defence into attack. Therefore players should fully understand how to exploit any space that appears in front of them, and this football drill is designed to assist them gain that understanding.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Running with the Ball		 View Session
Shooting 6 v 6: This is one of many football coaching sessions that is designed to improve a player’s ability to finish when a shooting opportunity presents itself.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Finishing		 View Session
Shooting 9 v 9: Similar to the football training drill above but the number of players involved has increased.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Finishing		 View Session
When to Press, When to Drop in an 8 v 8: This football coaching session looks to educate players where their defensive position should be depending on where the ball is.
Orientation: Defending    Objectives: Delaying / Dictating / Dispossess		 View Session

 

A new concept to the way Small Sided Games are organised is the introduction of basic 4 v 4's and 4 v 4's plus a floating player. By reducing the number of players on the pitch results in those playing being more actively involved more often.

4 v 4 Creating Space: Crucial to a team’s attacking success is the ability to create and utilise space, therefore this coaching session seeks to educate players how to generate as much space as possible.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Support Play		 View Session
4 v 4 Crossing: This game allows teams to create crossing opportunities so that they can practice finishing from such attacks. Like many of the football coaching drills in this section, this one can focus on more than one aspect of a players performance.
Orientation: Attacking     Objectives: Crossing / Finishing		 View Session
4 v 4 Defend and Delay: General defending football session that looks to focus on a team’s ability to defend in a general nature.
Orientation: Defending Objectives: Delay / Dictate / Dispossess		 View Session
4 v 4 Defending: General defending football training session that looks to focus on a team’s ability to defend in a general nature.
Orientation: Defending    Objectives: Delay / Dictate / Dispossess		 View Session
4 v 4 Defending with Floaters: This football drill places the defensive team with a numerical advantage so that the principles of defending can be focussed upon.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Dictate / Dispossess		 View Session
4 v 4 Defending Aerial Crosses with Floaters: This coaching session looks to highlight the main principles of defending balls played into the area through the air.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Clearance		 View Session
4 v 4 Dribbling: Educating players how to dribble when the situation arises is the focus of this football drill.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Dribbling		 View Session
4 v 4 with servers: Finishing: Educating players how to finish when the situation arises is the focus of this football session. The servers make it easier for the team in possession to create chances.
Orientation: Attacking Objective: Dribbling		 View Session
4 v 4 Forcing play in One Direction: Defending football drill to educate players how to force their attackers in the desired direction, so that all other players on the pitch know what is happening and where to position themselves.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Dictating		 View Session
4 v 4 Longer Distance Passing: This football coaching session aims to focus on a teams ability to pass over longer distances. Support play is also integral to the sessions success.
Orientation: Attacking    Objectives: Passing / Support Play		 View Session
4 v 4 Prevent Opponent Turning: Defending football training session to educate how to stop their opponents from turning and therefore being able to see the way they wish to attack.
Orientation: Defending    Objectives: Delay / Dictate		 View Session
4 v 4 Shooting: Another of the football coaching sessions that is designed to improve a players ability to finish when a shooting opportunity presents itself.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Finishing		 View Session
4 v 4 Turning: A football coaching session to educate players how to receive the ball in order to turn and pass.
Orientation: Attacking    Objectives: Turning		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Attacking: General attacking football session that looks to focus on a team’s ability to attack in a general nature while experiencing a numerical advantage. Like many of the football coaching drills in this section, this one can focus on more than one aspect of a players performance.
Orientation: Attacking     Objectives: Support Play / Creating Space / Finishing		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Creating Space: Crucial to a team’s attacking success is the ability to create and utilise space, therefore this session seeks to educate players how to generate as much space as possible by providing the attacking team with a numerical advantage.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Support Play		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Defending: General defending football session that looks to focus on a team’s ability to defend in a general nature. Like many of the football coaching drills in this section, this one can focus on more than one aspect of a players performance.
Orientation: Defending    Objectives: Delay / Dictate / Dispossess		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Defend When Outnumbered: The ability to defend when the opposition has an overload is crucial to the success of a team.
Orientation: Defending     Objectives: Delay / Dictate / Dispossess		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Finish from Crosses: Attacking football drill that is designed to allow players to create a number of crossing opportunities in order to generate potential scoring situations.
Orientation: Attacking     Objectives: Crossing / Finishing		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Forcing play in One Direction: Defending coaching drill to educate players how to force their attackers in the desired direction.
Orientation: Defending    Objective: Dictating		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Prevent Opponent Turning: Defending coaching session to educate how to stop their opponents from turning and therefore being able to see the way they wish to attack.
Orientation: Defending     Objectives: Delay / Dictate		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Shooting: Another of the football coaching sessions that is designed to improve a players ability to finish when a shooting opportunity presents itself.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Finishing		 View Session
4 v 4 + 1 Support Play: This football coaching session looks how team mates should support each other when they are in possession.
Orientation: Attacking     Objective: Support Play		 View Session

N.B: The pitch sizes suggested in these football training session plans can be adjusted to meet the requirements of your players and the objectives of your session.

Related Pages

The following pages are all contained within this website and are highly relevant to the pages that are situated within this section;

Adaptations to a Coaching Drill
Coach's Expectations
Coaching Process
Communication
Factors that Determine the Approach of the Coach
Football - A Basic Breakdown
How Players Learn
How to Coach
Observation is the Key
Roles and Responsibilities
Session Planning
What Players Learn

 

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