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Develop Spacing as a Team Using Goals as the Focus - Training Center Exclusive

Wayne Harrison

Set the condition you score a goal by “arriving” in a free zone as the ball arrives. This FORCES / CONDITIONS the players to spread out and move OFF AND AWAY from the ball. Defenders cannot enter the FREE Zone. (3) scores a goal and (2) moves off the ball to receive the next pass to score another goal.

Scoring a goal

(10) Moves to the free zone and receives a pass, defenders cant enter the free zone. Players can only stay in the free zone for 2 seconds then the ball and themselves have to move.

Creating many options

This would be a perfect scenario and unlikely but…… Players move OFF the ball to the free areas and at the same time the condition dictates the theme which is to spread out, this offers up as many options as possible for the player on the ball.

Teaching players to spread out using goals to condition their minds and their movements

  1. Score a goal by passing into the free zone to a player moving into it

  2. Player can only stay in the free zone for 3 seconds then they need to move out if they don’t receive the pass because in a real game they would be marked.

  3. In a real game they move out of the free zone to take a defender away for another player to drop in and get free

  4. Start off playing free and unlimited touches

  5. Reduce this to three touch then two touches.

  6. To establish the theme of spreading out and playing quickly develop the idea of playing quickly by saying every one touch pass results in a goal.

  7. This FORCES the players to think much more quickly to try to make a successful ONE TOUCH pass to score a goal; this CONDITION forces / encourages players to play ONE TOUCH, but at the same time they need to make sure they do it at the right time and not for the sake of

Teaching players to spread out

5 v 5 plus two neutral players and 5 free areas to play to. The idea is for players needing to move to the free areas CONDITIONS the THEME of spreading out.

(10) Moves to the free zone and receives a pass, defenders can’t enter the free zone

Players move OFF the ball to the free areas and at the same time the condition dictates the theme which is to spread out, this offers up as many options as possible for the player on the ball.