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Conditioning With Attack v Defense
By Philip Cauchi
Title: Position specific explosiveness.
Theme: Applied power.
Development of the soccer domains:
Technical: Medium range passing, oriented first touch, dribbling forward at speed, tackling, crossing (including cut back passes) and finishing.
Tactical: Attacking down the flanks and getting unmarked inside the penalty area.
Mental: Quick decision-making of how to create space, get unmarked and when to attack the space created.
Physical: Explosive movements with changes of direction to attack the ball.
Organisation: The practice takes place in one half of the pitch. We have a goalkeeper in goal, a full back on both sides and a central defender. The attacking team has a striker and a winger on both sides. Two mini goals are positioned 15 yards in front of the penalty area. If the defenders win the ball, they counter on the two mini goals.
Training load: 2 series of 6 to 8 repetitions each. Rest for one minute between repetitions and for four minutes between series. We aim for a work to rest ratio of approximately 1:10.
Periodization: The exercise should be carried out on the speed and power day, not less than 48 hours prior to the match (MD-2).
Targeted energy system: Anaerobic alactic (high quality football actions with minimal accumulation of lactic acid).
Training considerations: The players should be thoroughly warmed up before this practice with specific attention given to dynamic flexibility of the lower limbs.
The play always starts from the striker’s position (black 9) who passes to either side (winger 7 or winger 11) depending on which winger has to go next.
The striker (black 9) passes to the winger (black 7). At that moment the central defender (yellow 5) and the striker (black 9) move into the penalty area. The full back (yellow 3) trails behind the winger (black 7) who defends against the latter to prevent the cross.
The winger plays the cross for the striker to finish on target. Should the defender or the goalkeeper win the ball, the defending team quickly counters on the two mini goals.
Progressions:
1. The winger can opt to play the cross or dribble towards the inside.
2. When the ball is played on one flank, the opposite winger attacks while the opposite full back defends. Thus making the situation a 2v2 inside the penalty area. The winger on the ball can decide to either play the cross, a cut-back pass or dribble diagonally towards the centre.
By Philip Cauchi