Counterattack drill: Defence vs attack

-October 30, 2020

A quick transition from defence to attack can open the field for your attacking players and give them a numerical advantage. In these scenarios, your players must move as fast as possible towards the goal. This post discusses a counterattack drill that will improve your scoring chances and simultaneously prepare your defenders to stop these attacks.

Setup

You can practice this drill with just 6 players: 3 attackers, 2 defenders and 1 goalkeeper. You need half of an actual football pitch. If you have an entire field and enough players, organise two groups running the same drill in parallel.

You will also need a clock to time the attacks. Ideally, get a portable clock with built-in horns.

Instructions

There are two teams, defenders vs attackers. The drill is simple: attackers try to score, and defenders attempt to stop the attack. In addition to the basic football rules, follow these instructions:

The attacking team starts the game from the kickoff mark in the middle of the field.
The attacking players have 20 seconds to score. You can adjust this time as needed. For reference, the average EPL counterattack takes 15 seconds to complete.
Attackers are allowed unlimited touches.
All three attackers must touch the ball before shooting.
Defenders stop the attack by controlling the ball, kicking the ball out or delaying the attack so the attacking team runs out of time.
A ball is considered controlled by the defence when a defender touches it three consecutive times. If a defender blocks the ball but it bounces straight back to an attacking player, the attacking player can continue the attack if there is still time on the clock.
Sliding tackles are not allowed.
The next group of attackers starts when the attack is stopped, the goalkeeper saves a goal, or the attack scores.
Switch defenders after they stop 5 attacks.

Takeaways

This drill fulfils two purposes: it prepares your defence for counterattacks and improves your scoring chances when your team runs a counterattack. This exercise also focuses on these aspects:

Unlimited touches allow the attacker to practice his dribbling skills and the defender to improve his 1vs1 defensive skills.
Not allowing sliding tackles forces defenders to be patient and keep their position.
Because defenders are outnumbered and the attack is timed, they learn the importance of patience and positioning.
Using a time limit improves the speed of your attackers. They must dribble at speed and make decisions quickly.
Forcing all attackers to touch the ball encourages them to move quickly in triangles.
Rotating players allows everyone to practice different skills.

We’d love to hear how this drill benefits your team. Please share your experiences and modifications on our Facebook page or tag us in your training videos.

Pablo Matamoros

I am a software engineer with 25+ years of experience across diverse industries. I've climbed the corporate leader over the years, which has some benefits but means I moved away from my love for tinkering with technology. So, I build the odd website or application to keep learning and stay in touch with technology. FootballTechniques allows me to combine my programming knowledge with my passion for football.

To find out more about my professional experience, visit PabloMatamoros.com