Getting past opponents

LEARNING

PART ONE

PART TWO
 PART THREE

OBJECTIVES
This session will help players:
• recognise when and where to change speed to get away from (or beyond) an opponent
• use disguise and deception when changing direction to get past an opponent in a
1v1 situation
• spot the defender and where there’s space (gaps) to move the ball through.

ORGANISATION
• Set up a rectangular area suitable in size for your players – we have eight in ours, but
you can adapt to your numbers by changing the size or creating multiple areas
• Mark out a halfway line
• Create an end zone at either end – these are the ‘islands’
• The middle area is the ‘sea’
• Place a goal at either end (these won’t be used until part three of the session)
 HOW TO PLAY
Part one
• Assign three defenders, two in one half and one in the other – these are the ‘sea guards’,
and they’re locked into their assigned half
• The other five players are the attackers, and they start the game on one of the islands
• Each attacker has a bib and can choose whether to tuck it into the front, side or back of
their shorts
• The attackers must try to make it from one island to the other without getting their bib
stolen by a sea guard – if successful, they get one point
• If a guard takes an attacker’s bib, the two swap roles
• Challenge the attackers to get across on one leg for 10 points
• Play for around two minutes – then ask the attackers how many points they’ve got
• Make sure you swap the attackers and sea guards regularly

Part two
• The game remains the same, but the attackers swap their bib for a ball
• They then choose whether to run through the sea with the ball in their hands or at their
feet
• Attackers get one point if they make it across with the ball in their hands
• They get 10 points if they get across with the ball at their feet
• If a sea guard safely tags a ball in an attacker’s hands or steals it from their feet, the two
swap roles

Part three
• This is where the goals come into play
• Split your players into two teams (we do 4v4) and ask one player from each team to be
the goalkeeper (or play without goalkeepers)
• This is a normal match, but teams can only score from within the opposition’s end zone
• You may want to apply this scoring system: a goal is worth the number of players in the
opposition’s half when it’s scored
○ For example, if the yellow team score while having three players in the blue
team’s half, they get three points
• Provide opportunities for the teams to get together and have a team talk – ask them to
discuss how the game’s going and what they can improve on