Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Three Zone Game - Midfield Triangulation Exercise

Technical

Warm up - Forming Triangles, preforming a prescribed 3rd man running passing pattern ending by reforming the triangle. No dribbling, 1 and 2 touch passes only. Begin by each group staying in own quadrant. Progress to manipulating the triangle into different quadrants.

Triangle manipulations:

1. Flipping the Triangle (underlap)

2. Overlap

3. Rotate

4. Switch

3 Zone Game

Objective - Central Midfielder training for shape and movement.

Setup - Playing area divided into thirds. Two unequal teams, Gk +3 vs 6 and two optional wide neutral players. In Red's Def 1/3 there is a full size goal defended by a GK and 1 defender vs a single Blue #9. In the middle 1/3 Red has two pressuring defenders against Blue's #'s 6, 8, and 10. In Blue's def 1/3 there are two Blue defenders defending two small goals at either back corner. Red has not got a pressuring player in this zone.

Game Play - Ball is started by one of Blue's defenders. Blue is trying to score in the full size goal and Red is trying to prevent them and to promote playing through the transition, Red can score in one of the 2 small goals however stopping Blue is their main objective. Players should play in their zones with the exception that at any time 1 player from a zone may be in an adjacent zone. If the Blue defenders figure out to dribble into space in the middle 1/3 then a third Red defender should be added. The wide neutral players are useful in providing width for both teams and a safe outlet for the outnumbered defenders.