Square Game

Here is one of my favorite small sided games to use in practice.

It’s a two team game, played in a square with four goals or “gates”.

Each team has two gates, on opposite sides, to attack.  Goals are scored by dribbling through the gates.  Set up would look something like this.

As with all small sided games, this game works on a variety of technical and tactical skills. The unique, square set up, with goals at opposite ends, requires players to increase their level of awareness as they try to figure out which of the two goals is more appropriate to attack.

I recommend playing this game as a 3v3, 4v4 or 5v5 game.

-3v3 would require a 30 yard square.

-4v4 would require a 40 yard square.

-5v5 would require a 50 yard square.

Questions to help guide your players in this game:

“How do we decide which gate is better to attack?”

“What skills can be used to quickly change direction with the ball?”

“How can you trick or fake out your opponent?”

“What is a good way to defend in this game?”

Variations:

For a subtle change, try placing the gates in the corners.

To make this more of a passing game, remove the gates and place target players on the sidelines.  Targets are free to move along the sidelines.  Points are scored every time a team can play a pass to one of their targets.  

Restrictions and conditions that can be added to this target variation.

-Can’t score by passing to the same target consecutively.

-Score by passing to target and having target successfully pass the ball back into the square to a teammate.

-The target can not pass back to the player that passed to them.

-The target must play one touch.

-Target Exchange Game - Once a pass is made to a target, the target now enters the square and begins the attack towards the other target.  The player that made the pass to the target, becomes the target on the now vacated sideline.

Questions to help guide your players in the target variation game:

“What can targets do to make it easier for their teammates to pass to them?”

“What can players in the middle do to get the ball back from the target?”

“What visual cues let you know that a teammate is going to pass to a target?”

“What is the appropriate reaction to that visual cue?”

“After the target receives a pass (Target Exchange Game) where should his/her first touch go?”

“Why does the defense have a difficult time when the attackers move the ball quickly?”