Week 30

Outcomes

• ✓Players can circulate possession wide to stretch the low block horizontally before committing to a central pass
• ✓Players can identify and exploit a gap in the block with a quick lay-off and run in behind
• ✓Players can use overloads in wide areas to draw out a defender and create a central channel
• ✓Players can execute a reverse pass or disguised pass into a runner arriving between the lines

Equipment

• 16 cones
• 6 poles (to simulate the block)
• 6 bibs (3 colours)
• 3 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 2 goalkeepers
• 1 whiteboard + marker

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Two groups of 6. Poles set up in two lines of 3 to simulate a block shape on one half of a 30×25 yd grid.

   How to run it: FIFA 11+ warm-up sequence, then a block-breaking warm-up: players pass around the outside of the poles (simulating circulation), then play a quick 1-2 to pass through the gap between two poles (simulating a central penetration). Three reps each, increasing speed. Finish with two 25-yd striding runs.

   • ›Wide circulation: pace on the pass so the block must shift
   • ›Identify the widest gap in the block before attempting to penetrate
   • ›Head up at all times – scanning is the first step to finding the gap

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Breaking Block Patterns

   15m

   Set up: Half pitch. Six cones simulate a low block of 4-3 (four defenders in a line, three in front, all passive). Two central channels (1-yd gaps) are marked between the cone defenders. Attacking team of 7 starts in the middle third.

   How to run it: Attacking team circulates possession for two passes along the outside of the block before attempting to play through a central channel. When a channel opens (coach removes a cone on coach's call), the nearest attacker plays a quick, driven ball into the runner behind the block. Receiving player finishes on goal. Progress: make the block semi-active (cones replaced by slow-moving defenders).

   • ›Circulation must create horizontal movement in the block – play wide, play wide, then switch
   • ›Runner between the lines must stay in the shadow of the block until the moment to receive
   • ›Pass through the channel must be timed with the runner's movement – not a ball they have to stop for
   • ›Reverse pass disguise: face one way, play the ball the other to wrong-foot the block

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – 7v7 vs Low Block

   15m

   Set up: Attacking half of pitch (50×40 yds). 7 attackers vs 7 defenders who are locked into a low 4-3 block shape. They cannot advance past the halfway line. Goal at one end, attacking team scores on the full goal; defending team scores on two mini goals at the halfway line if they win the ball and play through.

   How to run it: Attacking team has 90 seconds to score. Defending team holds the block shape and earns a point for every clearance or interception that reaches the halfway line mini goals. After 90 seconds, reset with the same roles. After 5 rounds, swap roles. Coach pauses once to show how wide overloads stretch the block.

   • ›Don't rush – patience in possession to move the block is the key
   • ›Use a central midfielder as a 'false 9' to drop between the lines and receive with their back to goal
   • ›After receiving between the lines, the player must turn quickly or lay off before the block closes

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Block Buster

   20m

   Set up: Full 60×44 yd pitch. 9v9 with goalkeepers. The defending team sets up in a 4-4-1 low block and cannot advance past their own half for the first 12 minutes.

   How to run it: Attacking team builds from their own half and must break the 4-4-1 low block. Goals after a successful penetration (pass played through two lines of the block) count double. After 12 minutes, play normally. Coach freezes once to show a missed central channel and asks: 'What pass would have broken the block there?'

   • ›Don't fire shots from distance into a crowded box – circulation first
   • ›Third-man runners must be coming from deep to avoid being picked up by the block
   • ›Set pieces (corners, free kicks near the box) are especially valuable against a low block
   • ›Wingers must stay wide when the block is set – don't drift in and give back the width you earned

5. 5. Scrimmage – Free Play

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, 9v9, goalkeepers.

   How to run it: Open scrimmage. Coach observes whether players apply patience against the block or revert to direct play. Note two moments of good circulation and one successful penetration.

   • ›Is the team choosing patience or panic when the block is set?
   • ›Are midfielders arriving between the lines or standing in front of the block?

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Circle on the centre spot.

   How to run it: Stretching while discussing: 'Why is patience the key to breaking a low block?' Close with: 'What did we do today that a professional team like Hearts does on a Saturday?' End positively.

   • ›Reinforce the link between tactical patience and goal creation
   • ›Set homework before releasing the group

Outcomes

• ✓Players can maintain possession for eight or more passes while the block is set before attempting penetration
• ✓Players can create a central overload by withdrawing a striker into midfield to overload the space in front of the block
• ✓Players can exploit a defensive switch moment (when the block is shifting) with a quick forward pass
• ✓Players can transition quickly to defend when the block wins the ball and counter-attacks

Equipment

• 10 cones
• 4 bibs (2 colours)
• 4 balls
• 2 full-size goals
• 2 goalkeepers

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Full squad in a 35×30 yd grid. 8v4 rondo.

   How to run it: FIFA 11+ warm-up sequence, then 8v4 rondo for 8 minutes: possession team earns a point for 8 consecutive passes (simulating block-circulation patience); defenders earn a point for winning the ball. Finish with two acceleration runs of 30 yds.

   • ›8-pass target: don't rush – circulate until the defender steps out
   • ›When the defender steps, play into the space they left
   • ›Defenders: work as a pair to press, not all four together

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – False 9 and Lay-Off Sequence

   15m

   Set up: 40×30 yd zone. Three attackers (false 9, left midfielder, right midfielder) vs three passive defenders simulating a mid-block. Full-size goal at one end.

   How to run it: False 9 drops deep between the lines to receive from a central midfielder. Defenders cannot track the false 9's drop (passive). False 9 receives, turns, and plays a lay-off to one of the wide midfielders. Wide midfielder plays a first-time pass into the far-side runner who has made a diagonal run behind the block. Progress: add one live defender to track the false 9.

   • ›False 9's drop must be into the space between the defensive midfield line and the back line
   • ›Turn quickly on the lay-off – face forward before releasing
   • ›Far-side runner's diagonal must be behind the last defender, not across the face of the goal

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Counter-Attack from Block Win

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch in two halves. Team A attacks Team B's 4-4-1 block in one half. If Team B wins the ball they immediately counter-attack on Team A's mini goals at the halfway line with 3v2.

   How to run it: Team A tries to break the block and score. Team B holds the block shape and, on winning the ball, transitions immediately to a 3v2 counter-attack within five seconds. Roles reverse after 5 minutes. The threat of a counter-attack reinforces the need for a striker to hold their position and not over-commit to attack.

   • ›Attacking team: striker must stay high to prevent the counter-attack opening up
   • ›Defending team: first player to win the ball carries forward; the other two spread wide immediately
   • ›Transition is instant – no reorganising in possession, go directly

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Patience Score

   20m

   Set up: Full 60×44 yd pitch. 9v9 with goalkeepers. Defending team in a 4-4-1.

   How to run it: Attacking team earns a bonus point for each sequence of 8 or more passes before a shot attempt. Goals count double if scored from a penetration through two lines of the block. Normal scoring otherwise. Coach freezes once to show a moment where the block was disrupted and the gap appeared, then role-play the pass that should have been made.

   • ›Count passes aloud as a team – this builds rhythm and reminds players not to rush
   • ›Central midfielder must be the conductor – constantly available, constantly scanning
   • ›Defending team: stay disciplined – do not lunge out of the block for the ball
   • ›Attacking team: when a penetration pass is played, all runners must sprint to arrive together

5. 5. Scrimmage – Free Play

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, 9v9, no additional conditions.

   How to run it: Open scrimmage with both sides free to attack and defend as they wish. Coach observes block-breaking principles in action.

   • ›Are players demonstrating patience and scanning, or are they still rushing?
   • ›Note the best decision of the scrimmage to highlight in the debrief

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Circle, static stretching.

   How to run it: Stretching while coach summarises the two-session low-block theme. Ask: 'What three things can you do to move a defending block?' (widen it, slow it, penetrate it.) Close with homework.

   • ›Positive reinforcement: name one player who showed real patience today
   • ›Preview next week's theme: attacking set pieces