1v1 PRACTICE GAMES PDF
1v1 PRACTICE GAMES PDF
1v1 PRACTICE GAMES PDF
Published in 2013 by
Academy Soccer Coach Ltd
29 Gildredge Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN21 4RU
ISBN-13: 978-1480209138
2
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 3
1v1 CHOICE 4
1v1 LOSE THE DEFENDER 5
1v1 PENALTY AREA 6
1v1 RECOVER TO DEFEND 7
1v1 LOSE YOUR MARKER 8
1v1 FINISHING CIRCUIT 9
1v1 RANDOM 10
1v1 CONTINUOUS – 4 GOALS 11
1v1 CONTINUOUS 12
1v1 CONTINUOUS – 2 GOALS 13
1v1 TEAMS 14
1v1 SHOOT, REACT & DEFEND 15
1v1 CONDITIONING & DEFEND 16
1v1 FORCE AWAY FROM GOAL 17
1v1 STOP THE TURN 18
1v1 ATTACK, DEFEND & RECACT 19
1v1 DEFENDING TECHNIQUE 20
1v1 DEFEND YOUR BOX 21
1v1 CLEAR & REACT 22
1v1 DRIBBLE WITH DANGER 23
1v1 PROTECT YOUR BALL 24
1v1 NO-ONE WILL PASS 25
1v1 FRONT & BACK 26
1v1 BATTLES 27
ULTIMATE 1v1 CIRCUIT 28
CONCLUSION 29 3
INTRODUCTION
It’s vitally important that players are able to attack and defend in 1v1 situations. Coaches often accelerate into small
games of 3v3, 4v4, 5v5 etc without spending adequate time on the basic attacking and defending principles.
1v1 practice games are vital to any coach as this situation occurs naturally in any game. players must feel comfortable
dealing with these situations and finding a solution whether they are in attack or defence. The practices in this Journal
are designed to be unpredictable, forcing the players to make quick choices / decisions in order to come out on top.
In attack -
• “Try to slow the defender down and then accelerate”
• “All you need is half a yard”
• “Take the defender away from where you want to go, this will give you the space to attack”
• (For example a right footed player would take a defender to the left, before accelerating quickly into the space
created on the right)
In defence -
• “Close the space”
• “Show away from danger or towards a team-mate”
• “Force the opponent to play backwards or sideways”
• “Be patient and stay on your feet”
• “If you delay the attacker for 3-5 seconds then you will have given your team mates enough time to recover
and support you” 4
1v1 CHOICE
SET UP / RULES
5
1v1 LOSE THE DEFENDER
SET UP / RULES
6
1v1 PENALTY AREA
SET UP / RULES
7
1v1 RECOVER TO DEFEND
SET UP / RULES
8
1v1 LOSE YOUR MARKER
SET UP / RULES
9
1v1 FINISHING CIRUIT
SET UP / RULES
10
1v1 RANDOM
SET UP / RULES
11
1v1 CONTINUOUS – 4 GOALS
SET UP / RULES
12
1v1 CONTINUOUS
SET UP / RULES
Two teams.
13
1v1 CONTINUOUS – 2 GOALS
SET UP / RULES
14
1v1 TEAMS
SET UP / RULES
15
1v1 SHOOT, REACT & DEFEND
SET UP / RULES
16
1v1 CONDITIONING & DEFEND
SET UP / RULES
17
1v1 FORCE AWAY FROM GOAL
SET UP / RULES
18
1v1 STOP THE TURN
SET UP / RULES
Two teams
19
1V1 ATTACK, DEFEND & REACT
SET UP / RULES
20
1v1 DEFENDING TECHNIQUE
SET UP / RULES
21
1v1 DEFEND YOUR BOX
SET UP / RULES
Four stations A, B, C, D.
22
1v1 CLEAR & REACT
SET UP / RULES
23
1v1 DRIBBLE WITH DANGER
SET UP / RULES
24
1v1 PROTECT YOUR BALL
SET UP / RULES
Pairs of players.
25
1v1 NO-ONE WILL PASS
SET UP / RULES
The blue player must defend each line and stop the
attackers one by one.
26
1v1 FRONT AND BACK
SET UP / RULES
27
1v1 BATTLES
SET UP / RULES
Pitch 1
The players stand to the side of the coach
and away from the goal.
Pitch 2
The players stand side by side (away from or
facing the goal).
28
ULTIMATE 1v1 CIRCUIT
SET UP / RULES
Pitch 1
The defender passes to the attacker and the
runs back to recover. The attacker attempts to
race away and score.
Pitch 2
The attacker dribbles to score in a 1v1
against the defender.
Pitch 3
The serving player passes into the attacker
who must attempt to hold off the defender
and turn to score.
Player rotation
After defending on pitch 1, become the
attacker. Then move on to attack on Pitch 2
and then defend. Finally, be the server,
attacker and then defender on Pitch 3.
29
CONCLUSION
1v1 practice games are vital to any coach as this situation occurs naturally in any game. Players must feel comfortable dealing with
these situations and finding a solution whether they are in attack or defence. The practices in this journal are designed to be
unpredictable, forcing the players to make quick choices / decisions in order to come out on top.
I hope this games journal will help you to develop sessions that motivate and inspire your players to improve. I was once asked what
session I would work on if I was coaching a group of players for the very first time. I replied with 1v1’s. The simple reasoning is that even
the best forward in the world is tackled sometimes and likewise even the best defender in the world is taken on, therefore footballers at
all levels constantly need to work and develop their 1v1 skills.
Michael Beale
academysoccercoach.co.uk
30
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