Counterattack Small-Sided Game | A Drill to Sharpen Fast-Break Decisions

Overview

• Teams that want to work on hitting fast right after set pieces
• Players who need to speed up their reads the moment they win the ball
• Age groups learning to attack efficiently in tight space
• Anyone who wants to feel what it’s like to load up the attack before the other team can set

Objectives

• Create situations where you get more attackers forward than the defense, and learn to make that overload count
• Feel firsthand why attacking fast pays off
• Build the ability to read it and pass quickly even under pressure
• Sharpen the habit of pushing into attack without losing your shape
• Add more ways to score off the counter right after a set piece

Setup

A small-sided game that lets you drill the fast break after set pieces in a game-realistic way.

１）Split 12 players into two teams of 6 and play on a 40m x 50m field.

２）For a goal to count, every attacker has to be inside the opponent’s penalty area.

３）The attacking team either wins the ball or starts from a set piece, then goes straight at the opponent’s goal.

４）The defending team scrambles to get organized while the attack is still short-handed.

５）After a goal, restart with the other team having just won the ball.

６）Play 5 to 10 minutes straight and see who scores more.