Week 15

Outcomes

• ✓Players can funnel the ball carrier toward the sideline using a half-open body shape
• ✓Players can coordinate a sideline trap with the nearest midfielder cutting the only escape pass
• ✓Players can spring the trap within one second of the ball arriving in the trap zone
• ✓Players can reset to a compact block if the trap is beaten without ball-chasing

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 6 flat markers
• 6 bibs (2 colours)
• 3 balls
• 1 portable goal + 1 full goal

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: 30×20 yd strip divided into three 10-yd lanes by flat markers. Players split into groups of 4.

   How to run it: 11+ protocol with a directional focus: jogging in the lanes (forward, sideways, backward), carioca, lateral shuffle staying in one lane. Add an agility ladder pattern if available. Finish with dynamic hip openers and two explosive lateral shuffle sprints across all three lanes.

   • ›Chest faces forward even when shuffling sideways
   • ›Quick feet – aim for light, rapid contact with the ground

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Channelling 1v1 Corridor

   15m

   Set up: Set three 10×5 yd corridors side by side using cones. Attacker starts at one end, defender at the other. Sideline cone marks the 'wall'.

   How to run it: Attacker dribbles toward goal. Defender must use a side-on posture to funnel the attacker into the sideline corridor. No tackling until the attacker enters the corridor – then the defender springs the press. Coach watches body angle from the side. Switch roles every 3 minutes.

   • ›Defender's far shoulder leads to channel – do not face up square
   • ›Stay on your toes, weight forward, ready to sprint into the tackle
   • ›Do not dive in until the attacker is within 2 yards of the sideline cone
   • ›Arm extended on the inside to create the channelling shape

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Sideline Trap 4v4

   15m

   Set up: 30×20 yd grid with full sidelines. Two small goals at each end. Trap zones marked by flat markers 5 yds from each sideline.

   How to run it: 4v4 scrimmage. Defending team earns a bonus point (in addition to a goal) each time they win the ball inside a trap zone. One defender channels wide, one midfielder cuts the back pass, and one covers the diagonal pass into the centre. Coach calls 'trap!' when a player enters the zone to cue the spring.

   • ›The second defender must show before the ball arrives – don't wait for it to stick
   • ›Trap zone is no wider than 5 yds from the sideline – don't spring too early
   • ›If possession is won, attack immediately – wide players stretch the pitch

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Directional Press 7v7

   20m

   Set up: 50×35 yd pitch. 7v7 with goalkeepers. Two large goals. Flat markers outline press zones on each flank.

   How to run it: Full 7v7 with condition: defending team scores only from winning the ball in a flank press zone. Possession team scores normally. Every three minutes, coach switches which team defends. Players must nominate a 'press leader' at the start of each defensive phase who coordinates the sideline trap.

   • ›Press leader names the sideline before the ball is played wide – set the trap in advance
   • ›Whole unit shifts 5 yds toward the ball side when it enters the flank
   • ›Cover player must be goal-side and ball-side of the second attacker

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Same 50×35 yd pitch, free play 7v7, no extra condition.

   How to run it: Open scrimmage. Coach observes use of channelling and sideline traps. Note moments where the trap was set but not sprung, and moments where it was sprung correctly.

   • ›Are players channelling without being asked?
   • ›Watch for defenders going face-on – cue them laterally

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Seated circle. Static stretches: groin, hamstring, calf.

   How to run it: 3 minutes of static stretching led by a player volunteer. Coach-led question: 'When is the sideline our ally and when can the attacker use it against us?' Brief discussion then summarise: the sideline is only a trap if we set it deliberately.

   • ›Celebrate players who showed patience before springing the trap
   • ›Preview: next session applies the sideline trap in a full team shape

Outcomes

• ✓Players can shift the entire team unit toward the ball side to set the trap before the ball arrives
• ✓Players can identify and cover the escape routes from the trap simultaneously
• ✓Players can counter-attack with width after winning possession from a trap
• ✓Players can distinguish between a live trap situation and a moment to hold shape

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 8 flat markers
• 8 bibs (2 colours)
• 4 balls
• 2 full-size or portable goals

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Full team in a 25×25 yd area. Pairs with a ball each.

   How to run it: Passing warm-up with directional movement: player passes, then shuffles laterally to a cone, back-pedals to a second cone, and receives the return pass. Progress through jogging, skipping, and lateral bounding. 11+ hip abduction and knee-to-chest exercises at 9 minutes. Finish with three short sprint-and-brake reps.

   • ›Hips stay square during back-pedal – do not turn the back to the ball
   • ›Brace the core during the knee-to-chest exercises

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Team Shift to Trap

   15m

   Set up: Half pitch. 11 defenders in 4-3-3 shape. Coach feeds ball to various positions around the pitch to simulate build-up play.

   How to run it: Defending unit practices shifting as a compact block toward the ball side each time it is played wide. On coach's command 'trap!', the unit springs the press: winger closes the ball carrier, the nearest central midfielder steps across to cut the central pass, the back four push up and across. Reset after each rep. Run 8 reps.

   • ›The unit shifts as one – midfield and defence shift simultaneously
   • ›Never allow gaps wider than 5 yds between any two adjacent players
   • ›The offside line must not be broken – defenders step up together
   • ›Reset to central compact shape the moment the coach plays a new ball centrally

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – 6v6 Trap & Counter

   15m

   Set up: 50×35 yd pitch. 6v6. One large goal defended by the pressing team, two small goals on the far baseline for the possession team.

   How to run it: Possession team tries to score on two small goals by playing through. Defending team earns the right to attack the large goal by winning possession with a sideline trap. A goal scored within 6 seconds of winning the trap counts triple. Coach times each transition attempt.

   • ›Player who wins the trap turns and plays forward – do not stop to celebrate
   • ›Two teammates immediately enter wide channels to provide the outlet
   • ›Shoot on sight within 6 seconds – do not overplay

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – 9v9 Phase of Play

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch scaled to 9v9 (roughly 70×50 yd). Full-size or large goals. Flat markers on both flanks 6 yds from sideline to mark trap zones.

   How to run it: 9v9 match. Condition: defending team must attempt the sideline press trap whenever the ball enters a marked flank zone. No pressure if ball is in central area – hold shape. Coach uses a second ball to restart play quickly after stoppages. Two coaching pauses maximum: one per half.

   • ›Forwards must communicate 'channelling left' or 'channelling right' to midfield as the ball moves wide
   • ›The holding midfielder is the last line of the press – step only when winger and second forward are in position
   • ›Defending without the ball: always face the ball, not an opponent

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Same pitch, free 9v9 scrimmage, no conditions.

   How to run it: Free play. Observe whether players self-organise the sideline trap. Coach stays silent and notes three moments – positive or negative – to address in debrief.

   • ›Look for spontaneous communication between forward and midfielder to set the trap
   • ›Track whether the team resets quickly when the trap is beaten

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a line doing a slow walk-back to the centre circle. Then seated stretches.

   How to run it: 2 minutes of slow walking, then 3 minutes quad, glute, and hip-flexor stretches. Debrief: 'What was the difference between times the trap worked and when it didn't?' Players identify the common thread (timing and second-player positioning). Set week 16 focus: defending as a unit – pressure, cover, balance.

   • ›Validate effort and communication as much as technical execution
   • ›Assign homework directly tied to the transition to week 16 topic