All ages · Possession · 12 min
5v3 Grid, Two-Touch, Exit Pass
With eight players, train scanning, the bounce pass, and the pass that breaks a line — not a keep-away that dies on the first heavy touch.
Attack DefendSolid = passDashed = run
- Space
- 18×18 yard grid, four cones
- Equipment
- 4 disc cones · 2 balls · 3 pinnies for the defenders
Organization
Five possession players, three defenders. Two-touch. Possession team scores with 6 consecutive passes or a pass that splits two defenders and is received. Defenders score by winning and dribbling out of the grid. Rotate defenders every 90 seconds. 6 rounds.
Whiteboard
Diagram notes
Square grid. Five possession players: one on each side, one in the middle. Three defenders inside, staggered. Ball on the south side. Show a bounce to the middle, then a split pass to the north. Cones at the four corners.
Coaching points
- Receive across your body so you can see both sides before the first touch.
- The bounce pass is to the far foot, not into traffic.
- If two defenders jump, the spare man is the split. Play it first time.
- Defenders hunt as a pack: nearest presses, next covers the lane, third cuts the switch.
Phrases to use
- “See both sides before you touch it.”
- “Far foot.”
- “If two jump, split them.”
- “Hunt together.”
Progressions
- One-touch after the fifth pass.
- Shrink the grid to 14×14.
- Possession team may not play the way they face — must set or spin.
Regressions
- Three-touch.
- Widen to 22×22.
- Defenders must touch a cone before they can press the next ball.
Common mistakes
Players hide on the same line as the ball and the rondo becomes a square.
One player must be between the defenders — the third man, not a spectator.
First touch kills the ball at their feet and the press arrives.
First touch is a preparation, not a stop. Direct it away from the nearest defender.
Defenders all chase the ball and get split on the next pass.
Nearest presses. The other two own the lanes, not the player.