Find a new gate after scoring
Recognise that the gate just used is temporarily closed and move the next attack toward another part of the pitch.
Check the problem
Both teams crowd the easiest gate and repeat the same short pass. Even after a score, nobody checks the other options. A shared closed-gate rule gives the next attack a different problem.
Set up the space and roles
Mark a 24 × 24 m square with four corner cones. Use eight more cones to make four 2 m gates, centred 4 m inside each side and oriented parallel to that side. Leave 2 m outside the pitch clear. Six players form 3v3 with one ball. A point needs a ground pass through an open gate and a teammate controlling it beyond that gate. Players may approach either face. Carrying through or striking an unattended gate earns no point.
Keep the rotation clear
Teams are 1/2/3 and 4/5/6. Cycle the restart player within each team, and start alternate rounds with the other team. Any teammate can score as receiver; no one is stationed permanently behind a gate.
See the practice in three steps
Schematic views, not to scale. Player numbers match the roles below. Dark arrows show passes, dashed green arrows show movement and solid green arrows show carries. Use the written dimensions when marking your area.
1. Starting positions
2. The decision and movement
3. Game application
Your complete 30-minute plan
Briefing, planned role changes, water and reflection are included. Add rest or stop when needed; shorten active play rather than rushing a transition.
00:00–03:00 · 3 min
Check, explain and walk the layout
Walk around and name the gates north, east, south and west, pointing as well as speaking. Demonstrate a score. That gate closes for both teams until a different gate is scored through. All four begin open; only the most recently scored gate is closed.
03:00–08:00 · 5 min
Prepare the movement
One team rehearses a scoring pass while the other walks into possible support positions without challenging. Announce the used gate and point to two alternatives. Alternate possession after each attempt, so all six practise receiving beyond a gate and identifying the next target.
08:00–17:00 · 9 min
Focused practice and role changes
Play three rounds of 2 minutes 40 seconds plus 20 seconds of rest. After a score, both teams stop; the conceding team restarts from the centre with opponents 3 m away. Keep the last gate closed until another gate produces a controlled scoring pass. A pass through the closed gate stays in play but scores nothing. Ground-pass interceptions are allowed, with 1 m clearance from carriers and no foot tackles. On ball out, the other team restarts from the centre; the closed gate stays unchanged.
17:00–19:00 · 2 min
Water and reset
Pause for water and check the area. Prepare the 24 × 24 m game area, with 2 m clear outside, reusing the same cones. Extra rest takes priority; shorten the next playing block if needed.
19:00–28:00 · 9 min
Use it in a game
Repeat the same three round lengths, now asking the receiving scorer to announce or point to the closed gate before the restart. Players can help each other remember. Reset all gates to open only at the beginning of each round. Watch whether the next attack creates space at another gate before the carrier is trapped; intervene only when the rule or safe spacing becomes unclear.
28:00–30:00 · 2 min
Reflect and choose the next step
Ask which movement opened the next gate. If players only call out a gate name while remaining crowded, walk through one support route and repeat; avoid adding a touch limit.
Watch for a useful change
- Players remember the single currently closed gate.
- Off-ball teammates offer a route to another gate.
- A score includes a controlled receiving touch beyond the gate.
Make it easier
After each score, let the adult stand well outside the pitch aligned with the closed gate and point to it as a reminder.
When ready
Remove the adult reminder while preserving the same four gates and scoring rule. Ask the team to identify the new target before restarting.
Ask which movement opened the next gate. If players only call out a gate name while remaining crowded, walk through one support route and repeat; avoid adding a touch limit.
Original Session Pitch practice. Open this file from the extracted folder with its three maps and stylesheet. Use your browser’s Print command to save a PDF. Field effectiveness has not been evaluated.