A player, stretching his arm out to keep an opponent at bay, moves forward with the ball during a small-sided game in training.

Session

Overloaded session: 3v3 with target players

Session

England Football Learning

2 mins - Sep 18, 2023

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Session overview

This session will help players:

maximise overloads to combine and create goalscoring opportunities
move to create space with and without the ball
develop relationships between players.

If you like this idea, download the session plan and give it a go. And don’t forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We’d love to know how you got on.

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Session setup

You can adapt this to suit your team and your space, but we have half a pitch and ten players in our example.

For this session, you will need:

24x12 yard area

Two goalkeepers

Seven outfield players

Flat cones

Bibs

Two goals

3v3 with target players

Set up your pitch with a goal and a goalkeeper at either end. Have a 3v3 in the middle and set up a zone along the touchline for the two extra players to be 'target players'.
The aim is to score more goals than the other team. The team in possession can use the target players to create an overloaded 5v3 situation. Each target player can only cover one half of the pitch within the zone.
Once your team have the hang of it, move the target players to opposite sides of the pitch. Allow them to use the whole touchline to support the team in possession.
Add a progression. Let the target players move onto the pitch once they've received the ball. If the team they’re helping loses the ball, they need to get back to the touchline to receive it again.

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Coaching session

Watch this video to see the session in action.

Coaching tips

Give every player a go as a target player to ensure they’re all benefitting from the practice.

Observe your players' decision-making and encourage them to use the target players. Remember, they will always be free to receive a pass.

Remind the target players to move up and down the touchline with and without the ball. These movements may seem small, but they create loads of space for teammates when passing and receiving.

As players progress to play 11v11 formats, use this game to shine a light on different units and areas of the pitch. You can use the game to develop relationships between a midfield three and wing-backs.

And if you feel it’s right to progress the session, use the STEP framework (Youth Sports Trust, 2002) to help keep things fun, engaging and appropriate.