Week 32

Outcomes

• ✓Players can play a firm pass to a team-mate and immediately sprint past the defender.
• ✓Players can deliver a well-weighted first-time return into the runner's path.
• ✓Players can read when the give-and-go opportunity is present.
• ✓Players can complete the combination under defensive pressure.

Equipment

• 12 cones
• 6 bibs
• 8 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 2 keepers

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: Pairs in open space, one ball per pair.

   How to run it: Pass and follow: A passes to B and immediately sprints past B. B controls and passes back into A's running path. Continuous movement up and down the grid.

   • ›Sprint after the pass — not a jog.
   • ›Wall player: one touch, firm return into the runner's path.
   • ›Runner: don't slow down to wait for the ball.

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Three-cone triangle per group of two. Cones 8 yards apart.

   How to run it: A passes to B at Cone 2, A sprints around Cone 3 and receives the return from B in the channel between Cones 1 and 3. Continuous. Increase pace every two minutes.

   • ›Angle your sprint so the return is played into space ahead of you.
   • ›Wall player faces the runner — body open.
   • ›Time the sprint so you arrive as the return is played.

3. 3. Technical Practice

   15m

   Set up: Channel 25×10 yd. Passive defender in the middle. Attacker and wall player at one end, mini-goal at the other.

   How to run it: Attacker dribbles toward the defender, plays a give-and-go with the wall player on the outside, and finishes at the goal. Defender is passive for three reps, then semi-active, then fully live.

   • ›Play the pass at the right moment — too early and the defender adjusts.
   • ›Wall player: don't get caught square — stay slightly behind the line of the ball.
   • ›After the return, first touch forward, second touch finish.

4. 4. Skill Game

   15m

   Set up: 4v4 on a 30×20 yd pitch, two cone goals per end. A goal only counts if the scoring play includes a give-and-go in the attacking half.

   How to run it: Normal possession rules. Coach announces confirmed give-and-goals. Teams that attempt but fail still earn praise for trying. Rotate ends after five minutes.

   • ›Trigger: defender commits to the ball-carrier.
   • ›Set up the wall player early — don't wait until you're tackled.
   • ›Wall player: stay wide to give the runner an angle to sprint into.

5. 5. Small-Sided Game

   17m

   Set up: 5v5 including keepers, 35×25 yd, full goals.

   How to run it: Standard match. Coach uses a 'pass-and-go token': whenever a player plays a give-and-go and scores, the coach throws a cone token to that player's team — three tokens = bonus point. Tokens announced live.

   • ›Look for the give-and-go in the final third, especially wide areas.
   • ›Be brave: play and move even if the combination doesn't come off.
   • ›Keeper: organise your defenders to delay the combination.

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Circle stretch.

   How to run it: Static hip flexor, groin, and calf stretches. Coach demonstrates the give-and-go sequence with two players at slow speed and asks the group: 'What are the two roles in the wall pass?'

   • ›Runner (plays the wall pass) and wall player (returns it first-time).
   • ›Both roles are equally important — the wall player wins the game.

Outcomes

• ✓Players can execute a give-and-go to get behind a defensive line.
• ✓Players can finish after receiving the wall pass at speed.
• ✓Players can select the give-and-go over other options when the defender is tight.
• ✓Players can perform the combination on both sides of the pitch.

Equipment

• 12 cones
• 8 bibs
• 8 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 2 keepers

Run of show

1. 1. Arrival Ball Mastery

   8m

   Set up: Pairs with one ball each, 15×15 yd grid.

   How to run it: Wall-pass shadow drills: no defender, continuous give-and-go sequences with each pair making four consecutive wall passes before stopping. Count the longest consecutive run.

   • ›Sprint every time — even in warm-up.
   • ›Weight the return pass perfectly — not too hard, not too soft.
   • ›Develop a rhythm: pass-sprint-receive-pass.

2. 2. Dynamic Warm-Up

   10m

   Set up: Full pitch half. Groups of three: two attackers and one passive defender.

   How to run it: Two attackers advance toward goal, using one give-and-go to beat the passive defender, then finish. Defender becomes progressively more active over the warm-up. Three rotations each.

   • ›Trigger the combination when the defender engages the ball.
   • ›Runner: sprint into the space created — don't drift.
   • ›Finish with confidence after the combination.

3. 3. Technical Practice

   15m

   Set up: Half-pitch with one full goal and keeper. Two defending cones simulate a defensive block 20 yards from goal. Pairs of attackers attempt to work through using a give-and-go.

   How to run it: Pair must complete a give-and-go in the zone between the two cone defenders before shooting. Progression: add a live defender in zone two who can intercept the return pass.

   • ›Play into the defender's feet to trigger the combination — don't pass behind.
   • ›Wall player: open your body to the goal before playing the return.
   • ›After the combination, drive at goal — don't slow down.

4. 4. Skill Game

   15m

   Set up: 3v3 (+keeper) in attack zone 30×20 yd. Standard scoring plus double points for goals scored after a confirmed give-and-go in the final third.

   How to run it: Coach watches for the combination and confirms double points live. Both teams can earn double points. Reset after every goal.

   • ›Use the width to create give-and-go opportunities.
   • ›Third player: make a dummy run to distract the defender while the combination happens.
   • ›Keep the ball moving — slow combinations get intercepted.

5. 5. Small-Sided Game

   17m

   Set up: 6v6 including keepers, 40×30 yd, full goals.

   How to run it: Free match, all normal rules. Coach counts completed give-and-go sequences (whether or not a goal follows) and announces the total at the end: 'Team A: 4 wall passes, Team B: 3 wall passes.' Combination attempts are celebrated.

   • ›Combination play unlocks tight defences — be patient.
   • ›Don't force it — if the defender isn't tight, drive at them instead.
   • ›Transition quickly after winning the ball.

6. 6. Cool-Down & Review

   5m

   Set up: Group in a circle, light juggling.

   How to run it: Light ball work for two minutes. Coach picks two moments from the game — one successful give-and-go and one that broke down — and asks the group why each happened.

   • ›Timing is everything: the sprint starts when the pass is played, not after.
   • ›Celebrate good combination attempts, not just goals.