Build-Up to Counterattack Drill | Sharper Attack-to-Defense Switching

Overview

• For high school teams and up
• When you want to build your game around playing out from the back
• When you want players to stay composed in attack AND switch on the moment you win the ball back

Objectives

• Get players comfortable keeping the ball, staying calm, and breaking teams down with a string of passes
• Turn defense into offense — the second you win it, get straight into a counter
• Sharpen decision-making and clinical finishing in small-numbers situations

Setup

Set up a 30m x 50m field and play 14 players. The attacking team keeps the ball in one half and tries to break through and score. The moment the defending team wins it, they play a quick forward pass into the space on the far side to spring a 2v1 counter.

1）The attacking team keeps possession, stays composed, and strings passes together — use multiple touches to work it into the opponent’s half

2）When the defending team wins the ball, they fire a forward pass to the far side right away

3）Two wingers break on the counter, creating a 2v1 against a single recovering defender

4）After a set time, the ball goes back to the attacking team and you run it again