Opening playing variants against various defense systems

- As soon as

has passed the ball to

(C),

quickly runs towards the 6-meter line, to become the second pivot (D).

-

moves to the left (E) and receives a pass from

into his broad piston movement path (F).

(Figure 2)

-

may now choose from the following options, depending on the defense players’ behavior:

→ Pass the ball to

on the pivot position (G) (= option 1).

→ Try to break through directly (H) (= option 2).

→ Move to the center (J). In this case,

places a screen on the inner side, next to

(K).

→ If

remains passive,

may shoot at the goal (= option 3) (L), pass the ball to

(M) (= option 4), or pass the ball on to the other side.

- If the there is no shooting option following the initial action of

, the attacking team keeps on playing with two pivots. Both back position players should keep trying to interact with the two pivots, using the running paths practiced before.

The players should do the course on both sides.

A5: Crossing without the ball on different positions

Recommended for overcoming these defense systems: all

Requirement:

Description:

Another option for team play in width is crossing without the ball.

Factors of success:

- Vigorous piston movement of the player initiating the crossing.

- Dynamic movements and proper timing when taking on the crossing.

- Proper timing when passing the ball.

Implementation:

Crossing movements without the ball may be used against any defense system. The speed of attack can be increased considerably through the pass after the crossing movement. Moreover, the crossing without the ball may be used specifically to bring an offensively covered player back into play and into a good shooting position.

A5.1 Preparatory exercise 1: Ball familiarization

Setting:

- The players make teams of 2, with one handball per team.

- The first two teams of 2 (four players in total) line up next to each other on the goal line; the remaining teams line up behind them (see figure below).

Course 1 (not in the figure):

- The first two teams of 2 run to the other side in parallel while passing their ball (

plays double passes with

, and

with

). The other groups do the same.

- As soon as the groups have arrived at the opposite goal line, they run back to the upper goal line, while passing their ball again.

- The teams should do several rounds (two lines each), using different passing variants (direct passes, bounce passes, passes behind the back, and so on).

Course 2 (upper half figure):

- The two teams of 2 now are a group of 4.

- Initially,

and

each have a ball.

- The four players start running in direction of the opposite goal line (A).

-

passes to

, and

to

(B).

- After the pass,

and

cross without a ball (C) and receive the ball back from the player on the other side (D).

- They pass the ball back to the player on the wing (E) before initiating another crossing (F) and then receiving another return pass (G), and so on.

- In the upper half, the players switch positions and repeat the sequence on their way back.

- The players should run four lines in total, each player on each position once.

The players should pass the balls simultaneously in order to maintain the overall flow. They should also pay attention and time their passes and movements properly.

Course 3 (bottom half figure):

- The four players start running in direction of the opposite goal line (H).

-

passes to

, and

to

(J).

- After the pass,

and

cross without a ball (K) and receive the ball back from the player who received their pass (L).

- Now they should play long passes to the opposite wing (M), initiate a crossing without a ball in the center (N), catch the return pass (O), and so on.

- In the upper half, the players switch positions and repeat the course on their way back.

- The players should run four lines in total, each player on each position once.

A5.2 Preparatory exercise 2: Goalkeeper warm-up shooting

Setting:

- Define the starting positions with two cones (see figure).

Course:

-

starts by passing the ball to the coach (A).

- Following the pass,

and

cross without a ball (B and C), and

receives a pass from the coach, into his running path (D).

-

shoots at the goal as instructed (e.g. top right / bottom right / top left / bottom left) (E).

- The goalkeeper should observe the players from the goal center, touch the left post in a well-timed manner (for shots at the right) (F), and then try to save the ball shot at the right side of the goal (G).

-

lines up behind

(H),

picks up a new ball and lines up behind

(J).

- Immediately after the coach’s pass (D),

starts the course over.

The players should do the course on the other side as well, i.e. the center back crosses with the right back (without a ball).

A5.3 Implementation: Crossing without a ball in two variants

Course:

- Two teams play against each other 6-on-6. The defense players play a 6-0 defense system.

- The attacking players play 10 attacks; they get one point for each goal.

- Switch tasks after 10 attacks. Which team scores highest?

Offense tasks:

- In each attack, the players should use one of the two initial actions.

- They may keep playing freely afterwards.

(Figure 1)

Initial action 1:

- Following the pass from

to

(A),

moves to the left (B).

-

crosses dynamically behind

(C) and receives a pass from

(D).

- Afterwards,

may either break through directly (E) (= option 1) or play a parallel pass to

, who is doing the parallel piston movement (F and G); in this case, the attacking players should try to take advantage of their numerical superiority on the right side (= option 2).

- The players may do the course on the right side as well, with and crossing without a ball.

(Figure 2)

Initial action 2:

-

passes to

(H).

-

does a forward piston movement and then moves to the left (J).

-

crosses behind

(K) and receives a pass from

into his running path (L).

-

should either shoot at the goal (M) (= option 3) or

pass the ball to the pivot (

) (= option 4) or to

(N), who is doing the parallel piston movement; in this case, the attacking players keep on playing freely (= option 5).

- The players may do the course on the right side as well, with

and

crossing without a ball.

A6: Tricky interaction of the back position and wing players for a quick goal

Recommended for overcoming these defense systems: all

Requirement:

Description:

This series of exercises focuses on interaction of the back position players with the wing players.

Factors of success:

- Fast and dynamic wing players.

- The back position player must be able to play passes behind the back securely.

- Passing variants of the back position player.

- Timing of interactions.

- Quick catching and shooting preparation of the wing player.

Note:

The specific passing variant requires players who are well-trained in the basics. This series of exercises has higher requirements concerning team play and interaction; therefore, it is advisable to practice the individual sequences on a position-specific basis. The players should implement the sequences in a game only after they can pass the ball in a secure and proper way.

A6.1 Preparatory exercise 1: Ball familiarization

Setting:

- Three players each make a team, having one handball. They stand in a triangle, as shown in the figure.

(Figure 1)

(Figure 2)

Course:

-

receives a pass from

into his running path (A).

-

does a vigorous body feint to the left, then moves to the right (B), and plays a bounce return pass behind the back, to

(C).

- As soon as

has moved back to his initial position, the players repeat the course, with a pass from

to

(D).

- After some passes, the players switch positions, so that each player has practiced the sequence on each position.

“Pass behind the back” sequence:

- Once

has received the ball (A), he does a three-step body feint (left-right-left), while making the third step vigorously to the right. and (E).

In the example, the player put his foot too close to the defense player (right side). In a game, there would be a risk for an offensive foul.

- The trunk should be rotated. Left shoulder to the front (F), right shoulder to the back (G).

- The ball should be passed to

as a bounce pass behind the back (H).

Step order:

Body feint: left

right

left (here correct: The foot has been put directly next to the defense player).

A6.2 Preparatory exercise 2: Wing player ball handling

Setting:

- Position four cones as shown in the figure.

- Position a ball box next to the goal for the fast break initiation.

Course:

-

initially does a running feint to the far wing (A), runs around the cone (B), and receives a ball from

(C).

-

picks up the ball and shoots at the goal, from between the cones (D).

- After the shot,

immediately starts a fast break (E), receives a long pass from

(F), and eventually shoots at the goal on the other side.

- Repeat the course on the opposite wing position and so on.

Basics for the final overall course:

- Right before he starts running (in order to receive the pass from the back position player),

should stay outside of the wing defense player’s visual field (i.e. when the defense player observes the ball). Therefore, the running feint to the far wing (A) is required.

The players should do the course on both wing positions alternately.

should first try to initiate the fast break with the ball shot by

. If the ball has rolled away too far and cannot be reached easily, he should pick up another ball from the ball box.

A6.3 Implementation: Interaction of the back position and wing players

Setting:

- Define the playing field with a cone.

- The players should do the course on both sides alternately.

Course:

-

plays the initial pass into the running path of

(A).

-

does a vigorous body feint to the left (B), then moves to the right (C), and plays a bounce return pass behind the back, to

(F).

- In the meantime,

has done a running feint to the far wing (D), then runs a curve (E), catches the ball, and eventually shoots at the goal (G).