Week 4

Outcomes

• ✓Players can receive a pass on the half-turn with inside of the far foot
• ✓Players can play a forward pass within 2 touches of receiving between the lines
• ✓Players can read the body position of a teammate to know if they're open for a through-pass
• ✓Players can scan twice before receiving to know the options before the ball arrives

Equipment

• 1 ball per pair
• 20 cones
• 6 pinnies
• 2 full-size goals

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Four cones in a diamond shape, 8 yds per side. Groups of 4 players, one ball per group.

   How to run it: Players pass around the diamond and follow their pass. Progress to: pass and receive on the half-turn (open body), pass and receive with the far foot only. Every 3 min, change direction of passing. FIFA 11+ components: lateral hops over a line, single-leg landings (both sides), and progressive hip flexor stretches while passing. Finish with 2×20-yd acceleration runs.

   • ›Open body before the ball arrives — turn your hips, not just your head
   • ›Single-leg landings: absorb through the ankle first, then knee
   • ›Keep the passing tempo high — slow passing in warm-up becomes slow passing in the game

2. 2. Technical Practice – Half-Turn Combination

   15m

   Set up: Three cone posts in a line, 10 yds apart. 3 players per station in a 1-2-1 shape. Player A at one end, B in the middle, C at the other end.

   How to run it: A passes to B. B receives on the half-turn with their back to C, first touch opening toward C. B plays immediately to C. C plays back to A through the same sequence in the other direction. After 4 min, add a passive defender behind B who can step in if B's first touch is too heavy. After 8 min, make the defender active — B must beat the defender's pressure with a sharp half-turn.

   • ›B: scan before A plays the ball — you should know where C is before you touch it
   • ›First touch goes across your body and forward — away from the defender
   • ›Don't open too early or the defender knows which way you'll go
   • ›B's feet are already moving toward C as the ball arrives

3. 3. Skill Game – Half-Turn Possession (4v4+2 Neutrals)

   15m

   Set up: 30×20 yd grid. Two teams of 4 plus 2 neutrals. Neutrals always play with the team in possession.

   How to run it: Teams keep possession with neutral support (6v4). A point is scored every time a player receives the ball on the half-turn and immediately plays forward. Count points separately from ball retention. After 8 min, add: neutrals can only touch the ball if the player passing to them is on the half-turn themselves.

   • ›Neutral players: position yourselves in the pockets between defenders — don't stand beside them
   • ›Receiver: half-turn means your body is already facing forward when the ball arrives
   • ›Forward pass doesn't mean a long pass — 5 yds forward is still forward

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Lines & Forward Play

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch. Two teams of 7. Pitch divided into 3 zones. A goal only counts if the ball enters the final zone via a forward pass through the middle zone (no bypassing the midfield).

   How to run it: Teams attack and defend normally. To score, they must play through the midfield zone — a direct ball from defence to the final zone doesn't count as a goal (it's replayed from the midfield zone). This forces teams to play in lines. After 12 min, allow one bypass per team per 5-min period to prevent stagnation.

   • ›Midfield: you are not optional — the attack must go through you
   • ›Receive in the midfield zone on the half-turn so you can immediately face forward
   • ›Defence: playing through the midfield is your first choice, not a luxury

5. 5. Scrimmage – Applying the Half-Turn

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, normal rules, both GKs.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage. Coach gives a quiet individual challenge to 3 specific players before the scrimmage: 'Your job this half is to receive on the half-turn at least 5 times.' These players self-track. After the scrimmage, ask those 3 players how many times they managed it.

   • ›The half-turn isn't a trick — it's the most efficient way to play forward
   • ›The best midfielders in the world live on the half-turn

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a line facing the coach.

   How to run it: Slow jog around the outside of the pitch for 1 min, then static stretching (quads, hamstrings, hip flexors). Coach asks: 'What is scanning, and when do you do it?' Correct answer: scanning is checking your surroundings before the ball arrives — you do it twice every time you're about to receive.

   • ›Scanning is a habit — build it in training so it's automatic in the game
   • ›If you know where the pressure is before the ball arrives, you're already half a second ahead

Outcomes

• ✓Players can execute a 3-pass sequence from defence to midfield to attack without losing the ball
• ✓Players can identify when a forward pass is 'on' versus when to retain possession
• ✓Players can support the ball-carrier from multiple angles to create passing lanes through the lines
• ✓Players can combine in a 2v1 to break through a line

Equipment

• 8 balls
• 25 cones
• 8 pinnies
• 2 full-size goals

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Rondo circle of cones, 15 yds diameter. Players around the circle.

   How to run it: Light passing around the circle to warm up the body. Progress through FIFA 11+ hip work: leg swings (front-back and side-side), walking hamstring scoops, lateral lunges, and T-balance on each leg for 10 seconds. Add a competitive element: passing around the circle — any player who miscontrolls must do 3 defensive shuffles before re-joining. End with 2×25-yd progressive runs.

   • ›T-balance: feel the single-leg stability that ankle and knee control provides
   • ›Keep the circle passing sharp — the warm-up has a purpose beyond just warming up
   • ›Lateral lunges: full range, hold 1 second at the bottom

2. 2. Technical Practice – 3-Zone Passing Sequence

   15m

   Set up: Pitch divided into 3 equal horizontal zones, 15 yds each. 3 players in each zone. One ball starts in the defensive zone.

   How to run it: Defensive zone players must play the ball into the midfield zone in 3 passes or fewer. Midfield zone players receive, combine, and play into the attacking zone in 3 passes or fewer. Attacking zone plays a combination and shoots. After 6 min, add: a defender in the midfield zone to intercept the pass into the attacking zone. Run continuously for 12 min, resetting after each shot.

   • ›Defensive zone: don't rush — short and secure to begin, then find the pass forward
   • ›Midfield zone: your job is to be the bridge — receive, face forward, play early
   • ›Attacking zone: first run creates space for the second run
   • ›Every pass forward requires a player to have already made a forward run

3. 3. Phase Game – 2v1 + Target to Finish

   15m

   Set up: 30×20 yd channel. Pairs vs single defenders at intervals. Target player at the end of the channel.

   How to run it: Two attackers start at one end, one defender in the middle. The pair must play through the defender to reach the target player. Target player plays a combination and returns the ball for a shot on a full-size goal. After each rep, the pair jogs back; the defender chases to add pressure on the return. Rotate defenders every 3 min.

   • ›2v1: the player without the ball makes the run that opens the passing lane
   • ›Time the pass: don't play the forward ball too early or the defender can intercept
   • ›Target player: set the ball back in one touch so the shooter can strike it moving

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Line-Breaking Possession

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch. Two teams of 8. A cone gate (3 yds wide) is placed in the middle of each horizontal third of the pitch — teams must play through the gate to advance to the next third.

   How to run it: Teams advance by playing through the cone gates in sequence. A goal can only be scored after the ball has passed through all three zone gates. This forces line-breaking passes and movement off the ball. After 12 min, remove the gates and allow normal play, but challenge teams to replicate the pattern voluntarily.

   • ›Gates force you to play forward — remove the gate from your mind and play forward naturally
   • ›Supporting runner: arrive at the gate at the same time as the ball
   • ›Don't play a square pass when a forward gate is available — forward first, always

5. 5. Scrimmage – Line-Breaking in Normal Play

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, normal rules, both GKs.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage. Coach awards 1 bonus point every time a team completes a pass through two lines in a single action (e.g., from a defender to a striker past the midfield). Both teams track their own bonus points. Announce the bonus total at full-time.

   • ›Line-breaking passes are high-risk, high-reward — the timing and weight must be perfect
   • ›The run creates the pass — without the run, the pass doesn't exist

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players seated on the pitch.

   How to run it: Partner hamstring and calf stretches (seated, reach-and-hold, 30 seconds each). Coach draws the three-zone structure on the ground with a stick or disc cone. Ask: 'What's the job of the player who receives the ball in the middle zone?' Answer: receive on the half-turn, face forward, play into the attacking zone.

   • ›Playing through the lines isn't a style choice — it's how you create quality chances
   • ›Every player we've discussed this week is either the connector or the receiver — know your job