One touch attacking triangle drill

Creating triangles in the pitch is a common offensive strategy that enables a team to quickly move the ball. The drill in this post uses a one touch attacking triangle to break the defence and create a shooting opportunity at the edge of the box.

Setup

For this drill you will need cones and a full size goal. With the cones create two lines of about 3 metres long, one on the penalty spot and the other inside the semi-circle outside the box. Locate the starting cone about 5 metres outside the box. You can practice this drill with a goalkeeper or use target nets in the goal. This exercise requires 3 to 4 players: 3 players attacking and 1 goalkeeper or target nets.

Instructions

The players in the box move in opposite directions. If the front player moves to receive the ball on the right, the back player must move to the right, and vice-versa. The starting player passes the ball to the front player who in turn returns the ball using one touch. Then, the starting player passes the ball to the back player through the gap. Finally, the back player passes the ball to the front player who shoots at goal. After shooting, players rotate position.

Remember these key points

• 3 players are required for this drill.
• Players inside the box move constantly in opposite directions.
• The ball is moved in triangles.
• Only one touch is allowed (shooting is considered a touch).

One variation that you may want to consider is to use defenders to apply pressure over the players in the box . Be creative and create your own versions of this drill.

Takeaways

The objective of this drill is to create shooting opportunities by moving the ball in a one touch attacking triangle. Players will improve these skills:

• Reading the game. The back player keeps an eye on his team mate to move in opposite direction. The starting player observes both passes the ball through the gap created.
• Creating space. This exercise encourages intelligent movements from the offensive players to open the defence.
• One-touch passing. Quick one touch passes create gaps in the defence that can be exploited for penetration passes or shooting at goal.
• Shooting. Do not execute this drill without a goalkeeper or target nets. You want every shooting opportunity to count.

Keep the intensity of the exercise and mix up the players movements so the drill becomes less predictable. Remember that the objective is to break the defence with quick passes.

The video below shows how to execute this drill.