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2v1 To Endzone

Set Up

Vary your grid set up based on your players age and ability. Make your end-zone wider to start with as this will encourage use of more width and allow players to have initial success. Narrow the end-zone to make it more challenging as you progress.

Activity

Set a up a rectangle End-zone at one end of your pitch. Make your End-zone wider and deeper for beginner players to help them have more success. You can narrow the End-zone and make it smaller as they have success.

Put your players into groups of 3 and select one player who will be the defender. The pair of players will start with the ball the objective is for one of them to have the ball in the End-zone under control.

The defenders job is to stop the pair of attackers getting into the End-zone.

  • Let the pair of attackers start with the ball rather than having the defender pass it to them. 
  • Switch which player in the attacking pair starts with the ball as you want them to both have a chance to be the ball carrier and the supporting player.
  • If the defender wins the ball you can have them either try and pass the ball to the a sideline neutral or dribble over the starting line of the attackers.

Videos

Variations

Variations for this activity would be to change the starting point of where the two attackers start with the ball. This will give them different game situations and bring about different movements and solutions to the activity.

Here are a number of different ways that you change the starting point of the attackers and the ball to bring about a variety of situations.

You can also add in a condition that both players must touch the ball before it gets into the End-zone.

Coaching Points

Solutions

The ball carrier passes to their team mate who is an open wide position. The team mate who receives the ball dribbles into the end zone before the defender can recover and win the ball.

The receiving partner gets into an open position in the End-zone. The player who starts with the ball complete a pass to them in the End-zone.

The ball carrier dribbles to the defender and then turns to shield/hide the ball from the defender blocking the defenders view of the ball. The partner then makes an overlapping run and takes the ball from his partner and dribbles it into the End-zone.

The ball carrier dribbles straight at the defender and then fakes to pass to their partner who is in an open position out wide. When the defender takes a step to intercept or go cover the pass the ball carrier switches direction and keeps the ball and dribbles to the End-zone.

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The receiver will run too far down the field so the angle of the pass is no longer on.

  • Show the receiving player how to remain in an open position for their partner.
  • Show the receiving player how to get wide and then hold their position until they get the pass.

The two attackers will stay too close to each other so that the defender can cover both of them at the same time.

  • Show the two players how to create space between themselves and the defender. 
  • The player without the ball should always try to stay as far they can in an open position from the defender.

Coaching Points

The ball carrier will dribble away from the defender towards the sideline and this will reduce or eliminate the angle to pass to their partner.

  • Show the ball carrier how to dribble straight at the defender to bring the ball close to the defender and create a greater distance between the defender and the receiver of the ball.

Receiving player will not get ahead or behind the line of the defender making it easy for the defender to cover them and stop them going forward to the End-zone.

  • The player without the ball should always try to stay as far they can in an open position from the defender.

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Receiving attacker will run into the end zone but will not be in an open position. Or the receiving attacker will be open in the End-zone but once the defender covers the pass they will not move to get open again.

  • Show the receiving partner what an open position looks like. 
  • Show the receiving partner how they may not remain open of the defender moves and how to change position to get open again.
  • Show the receiving player how to adjust their position based on what the player with ball does.