Regaining possession quickly should be a goal of every team; by recovering the ball quickly from your opponent it allows you to dictate the game and potentially create more opportunities to score.

Players must be coached to immediately think ‘transition’ on any loss of possession – within this transition moment they must know their roles and responsibilities; Do I press the ball? Do I cut off passing lanes? Do I retreat or move forward? These are all questions related to scenarios the players will face.

This session aims to develop the habit of quick transitions to defend – the first activities create the general understanding of reacting quickly to a loss of possession. The final activity places the buildup team in the opponents’ half; on any loss of possession the team must press immediately in order to (1) prevent the opponent playing forward, (2) regain possession to create chances to score while the opponent is disorganized.

Regain Possession Quickly: Transitions to Defend

1. THINK ‘TRANSITION’ TO DEFEND

Setup:

10 Players organised in groups of ‘3’ in different coloured bibs as shown – 1 Floater positioned centrally (Black). 6 Players + Floater maintain possession – 3 central players acting as Defenders.

Instructions:

*Warmup Activity – gradually increase rhythm as warmup progresses.

The 6 perimeter players + Floater circulate the ball using 1 or 2-touch play; 3 central defensive players offer defensive pressure to block / intercept passes. On the Coach’s signal the 3 central players change with 3 perimeter players running into the grid to become the new Defenders. Coach calls “Red” – Red players now TRANSITION to apply defensive pressure.

Coach continually changes the 3 central defensive players.

Play is continuous.

Coaching Points:

• Immediately change roles from In-possession to Defensive position
• Communication amongst defensive players – intercept / block passes
• Gradually increase rhythm as warmup period progresses

2. THINK ‘TRANSITION’ TO DEFEND PROGRESSION

Setup:

10 Players organised in groups of ‘3’ in different coloured bibs as shown – 1 Floater positioned centrally (Black). 6 Players + Floater maintain possession – 3 central players acting as Defenders.

Instructions:

Coach no longer calls the colour; now…the team (colour) losing possession / making error immediately becomes the defensive team. Constant changes of roles occurs.

Play is continuous.

Coaching Points:

• Immediately change roles from In-possession to Defensive position
• Communication amongst defensive players – intercept / block passes
• Gradually increase rhythm as warmup period progresses

3. POSSESSION – ‘Think’ Transitions to Defend

Setup:

10 players divided in two teams. Two grids of 10m x 10m/15m x 15m **(dependent on ability of players).

Instructions:

5 (Yellow) v 2 (Green) in Grid (A); 3 Green waiting in Grid (B). As soon as Yellow makes a error (interception or ball out-of-grid) the game moves to the adjacent grid with a new ball passed from the Coach (C).

Green team now becomes the In-Possession team with 2 Yellow Defenders TRANSITIONING to apply immediate pressure.

Play is continuous in 5v2 format – (Coach can dictate demand with stoppages for coaching points)
*Depending on ability – can send 3 players to defend.

Coaching Points:

• Possession activity to create the habit of ‘transitioning’ to defend immediately on any loss of possession
• “Think TRANSITION”!
• Immediately change roles

4. TACTICAL GAME – Transitions to Defend in Opponents Half

Setup:

An 8v8+ Goalkeepers is organised on a half-pitch as shown. Goalkeeper (A) acts as a ‘Floater’ for the team in possession. Goalkeeper (B) positioned in full-sized goal. Buildup team (Yellow) utilises Goalkeeper (GK A) in Central Defender position; other Players in normal playing positions.

Instructions:

Goalkeeper (A) on the halfway line has a dual role – plays for the team in-possession –
GK (A) also acts as a Target player for Defending team (Green) if they regain possession.

Yellow attempts to build a successful attack and score against GK(B).

If the Defensive team (Green) wins possession – YELLOW must immediately TRANSITION to defending and apply immediate pressure; applying pressure in opponents half can result in creating chances to score.

Green team attempt to score in any of the mini-goals.

*Change roles after designated time.

Coaching Points:

• “Think TRANSITION”!
• Act immediately
• Immediately change roles from In-possession to Defensive position in relation to ball / teammates / opponent
• Nearest player to ball – apply pressure!
• Communication amongst defensive players – intercept / block passes / force errors / regain possession