Deep Build-Up to Counterattack | Transition Drill

Overview

• Run this with 18 players.
• Set your field to roughly 40m × 80m.
• This one trains your players to flip from defending to attacking in a heartbeat.
• They’ll work on building out of deep positions and hitting a fast counterattack all in the same drill.

Objectives

• Get players comfortable holding the ball deep and driving it forward quickly.
• When the attack turns on, use the overload to finish the move with a shot.
• Sharpen how fast they switch phases — attack to defense, defense to attack.
• Tie the whole team’s positioning together, so everyone moves as a unit the second the ball is won.

Setup

The team that wins the ball building out of deep positions plays it forward fast and uses the overload to attack the goal.

1）Start with 4 attackers (deep) against 2 defenders. The attackers keep the ball and try to work it forward.

2）Within the set time, the attackers hit a forward pass and flip into the counterattack.

3）On the counter, the attacking side uses their 4v2 edge and aims to finish the move with a shot.

4）Once the ball is lost or the shot’s away, players swap positions.