A girl runs with the ball while under pressure from an opponent on her left, during a match on a 3G pitch.

Session

Transition session: transition to attack

Session

England Football Learning

1 min - Jan 15, 2024

Session overview

This session will help players:

transition between attack and defence quickly and effectively
improve communication skills
develop both finishing and emergency defending.

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.

Transition to attack

Mark out a pitch with a goal at one end. Have one goalkeeper and a 3v3 in the rest of the area. One team will start by attacking the goal.
The aim of the attacking team is to score a goal. The defending team aims to get the ball from the attacking team and stop the ball on the line at the opposite end of the pitch. When the defending team does this, they become the attacking team.
Once your team are used to it, let the goalkeeper join the defending team when they're trying to get the ball to the line. This will get the goalkeeper more involved with the transition of play.

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Coaching session

Watch this video to see the session in action.

Coaching tips

Have your team think about transitioning between attack and defence. As soon as the play is switched, the new defending team should run back quickly to help defend the goal.

Encourage players to scan the pitch and create space when in possession to help them get the ball to the line or score.

Try changing the size of the pitch for different returns. A smaller and more narrow pitch will encourage shorter, more intricate passing. A longer and wider pitch will encourage longer passes and bigger touches while moving with the ball.

Provide a different challenge when appropriate by having overloads and underloads. This could be a 4v3 or a 5v4 for example.

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.