High school · Team shape · 20 min
Travel, Tuck, Jump the Square
Set a 4-4-2 mid-block that travels with the ball, stays 8–12 yards between lines, and jumps only on a square pass or a poor touch.
Attack DefendSolid = passDashed = run
- Space
- Three-quarter field, full width
- Equipment
- 12 cones · pinnies · 1 full goal · 6 balls
Organization
Defending 8 + GK vs 10 attackers. Defenders start in two banks of four on the edge of the center circle. Attackers try to play through or around. Defenders score by winning and playing into a mini-goal. 4 × 4-minute rounds.
Whiteboard
Diagram notes
North goal. GK and back four on the 18. Midfield four on the D and the center-circle edge. Two strikers screening. Attackers in a 2-3-3. Show a slide of the block toward the right channel.
Coaching points
- The far-side winger tucks. The block is 30 yards wide, not 60.
- Front two screen the 6. They don’t chase the CBs unless a trigger is on.
- When the ball travels, the whole block slides. Nobody defends in a different zip code.
- Jump only on a square pass, a back pass, or a heavy touch. Guessing breaks the block.
Phrases to use
- “The block travels.”
- “Far-side tucks.”
- “Screen the 6.”
- “Jump the square, not the guess.”
Progressions
- Remove one defender.
- Attackers may play in behind after two passes.
- Add a 6-second shot clock in the final third.
Regressions
- Freeze on the whistle to check distances.
- Attackers two-touch.
- Defenders start 8 yards deeper.
Common mistakes
The front two chase the CBs and the 6 is free between the lines.
Screen first. Jump second. The 6 is the dangerous man.
Far-side winger stays high and a switch finds him 40 yards from cover.
Tuck to the edge of the box. Compact, then press.
The back four drops and the midfield doesn’t, so a hole opens.
The two banks move as one. Call ‘travel’ from the 6.