adminCategory: Finishing / Combination Play / Passing
Age: U12 – Seniors
Players: 5+ (4 active + rotation)
Difficulty: Medium
Space: 15 x 15 meter triangle
Objective
We improve purposeful dribbling, moving towards the ball, switching play with a long diagonal ground pass, and staying clinical in front of mini-goals.
Equipment
- 5 cones
- At least 5 players
- At least 2 balls
- 2 mini-goals (or bownets / pugg goals)
Setup
We set up a 15 by 15 meter triangle with 5 cones. Two mini-goals are placed at the top side of the triangle. Player 1 starts with the ball at the bottom cone. Players 2, 3 and 4 take positions on the other cones. Extra players wait behind player 1.
How it works (from our video)
- Player 1 dribbles to the middle cone and passes to Player 2.
- Player 2 moves TOWARDS the ball and plays first-time to Player 3.
- Player 3 controls, looks up, and plays a hard, accurate diagonal ground pass to Player 4.
- Player 4 checks the run, controls with the front foot and finishes calmly on the mini-goal.
Rotation: 1 goes to 2, 2 goes to 3, 3 goes to 4, 4 collects ball and joins behind 1.
Coaching Points – What we coach
- Player 2 – Never wait: Always move towards the ball. This creates space and tempo.
- Player 3 – Quality of the switch: Control, scan, and play a hard pass on the ground. No bouncing balls.
- Player 4 – Clinical finish: Front foot control, head up, calm finish. Mini-goals punish bad finishing.
What do your players learn?
They learn to dribble with purpose, to create space by moving into the ball, to switch play under pressure and to stay clinical in the final third. It’s game realistic, high tempo and perfect for any training session.
Variations we use
- Easier: Allow Player 2 two touches. Use larger mini-goals.
- Harder: Player 2 must play one-touch with weak foot. Player 4 finishes first-time.
- Competition: Which group scores 5 goals first? Losing team does 10 push-ups.