Prepare the first decision
10 minPlayers this activity: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · 8 attending
Begin at walking pace in the numbered stations. Four players identify ball, target, nearest defender and deeper cover; move the ball softly across and rename the roles. Share the ball when needed; an observer watches the same decision and takes a ball turn on the next assigned round.
Call the handover; keep the target covered. The handover follows ball position, not fixed player labels.
Run the activity
- Four players identify ball, target, nearest defender and deeper cover; move the ball softly across and rename the roles.
- Pause on a raised hand and point to the space you chose.
- Swap the ball on the round signal and notice this feature: The handover follows ball position, not fixed player labels.
Play
- Four players identify ball, target, nearest defender and deeper cover; move the ball softly across and rename the roles.
- Ground play only. No heading, sliding, body contact or tackles at a player's feet. Intercept loose ground passes only. Offer water or a pause whenever needed.
Watch for
The handover follows ball position, not fixed player labels.
If you see: The old nearest defender follows the ball across and leaves no cover.
Try: Freeze the receiver and let the old nearest player find the deeper target-side spot.
Organisation
2 separate stations. Roles: carrier, nearest defender, covering defender, supporting receiver; extra players observe. Advance one slot each round. 4 turns cover every player. A first carrier turn can take up to 180s of activity. Waiting is active observation; add balls or reduce group size if it becomes too long.
7 rounds × 60 seconds. Timing: 420s activity · 60s briefing · 60s rest · 60s transition.
Adjust the challenge
Easier: Keep the side pass announced and the receiver stationary.
Next step: Remove the pause once the pair consistently takes different jobs.
Move on: Stop the balls and identify the start positions for call the side-change handover.
28 × 34 m clear area with a 2 m perimeter buffer. 2 numbered stations, 8 numbered player slots, 2 balls and 8 cones. Each station shares one ball and rotates roles; dashed arrow shows an example travel or pass route. Focus: Exchange nearest and covering roles when a side pass changes the direction of attack. Diagram shows starting positions, not fixed player locations. Three steps show delay cover using the first round's numbered players. Solid gold routes show the ball; dashed pale routes show player movement; dotted blue routes show a shadow or defender. Routes stay inside each numbered station. 1. Protect the route: Nearest defender protects space; no contact. 2. Change the ball side: Second defender covers behind when available. 3. Hand over nearest and cover: The old nearest defender drops; the partner now delays.
Round-by-round player roles
| Round | Assignments |
|---|---|
| 1 · 60s | 1: carrier (station 1); 3: nearest defender (station 1); 5: covering defender (station 1); 7: supporting receiver (station 1); 2: carrier (station 2); 4: nearest defender (station 2); 6: covering defender (station 2); 8: supporting receiver (station 2) |
| 2 · 60s | 1: supporting receiver (station 1); 3: carrier (station 1); 5: nearest defender (station 1); 7: covering defender (station 1); 2: supporting receiver (station 2); 4: carrier (station 2); 6: nearest defender (station 2); 8: covering defender (station 2) |
| 3 · 60s | 1: covering defender (station 1); 3: supporting receiver (station 1); 5: carrier (station 1); 7: nearest defender (station 1); 2: covering defender (station 2); 4: supporting receiver (station 2); 6: carrier (station 2); 8: nearest defender (station 2) |
| 4 · 60s | 1: nearest defender (station 1); 3: covering defender (station 1); 5: supporting receiver (station 1); 7: carrier (station 1); 2: nearest defender (station 2); 4: covering defender (station 2); 6: supporting receiver (station 2); 8: carrier (station 2) |
| 5 · 60s | 1: carrier (station 1); 3: nearest defender (station 1); 5: covering defender (station 1); 7: supporting receiver (station 1); 2: carrier (station 2); 4: nearest defender (station 2); 6: covering defender (station 2); 8: supporting receiver (station 2) |
| 6 · 60s | 1: supporting receiver (station 1); 3: carrier (station 1); 5: nearest defender (station 1); 7: covering defender (station 1); 2: supporting receiver (station 2); 4: carrier (station 2); 6: nearest defender (station 2); 8: covering defender (station 2) |
| 7 · 60s | 1: covering defender (station 1); 3: supporting receiver (station 1); 5: carrier (station 1); 7: nearest defender (station 1); 2: covering defender (station 2); 4: supporting receiver (station 2); 6: carrier (station 2); 8: nearest defender (station 2) |
Equipment: 2 balls · 8 cones · 0 goals
Round-by-round player roles
C = carrier · D = nearest defender · V = covering defender · S = supporting receiver. Times are activity seconds; briefing, rest and transition are separate.
| Player | Station | R1 60s | R2 60s | R3 60s | R4 60s | R5 60s | R6 60s | R7 60s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | C | S | V | D | C | S | V |
| 2 | 2 | C | S | V | D | C | S | V |
| 3 | 1 | D | C | S | V | D | C | S |
| 4 | 2 | D | C | S | V | D | C | S |
| 5 | 1 | V | D | C | S | V | D | C |
| 6 | 2 | V | D | C | S | V | D | C |
| 7 | 1 | S | V | D | C | S | V | D |
| 8 | 2 | S | V | D | C | S | V | D |