Technical Warmup – Combination Play

By: Bobby Clark

Originally Published in: Attacking Soccer

Provided by: Human Kinetics

Combination play is the quick exchange of passes to gain a tactical advantage. Near the goal the defensive team limits space and time to play. Defenders are drawn to the ball. Passing the ball quickly creates space and gaps in the opponent's defense.

Purpose

Preparing players technically and tactically

Organization

Set up a 44- x 40-yard (40 x 37 m) area (a double penalty area). There are four groups of three players, with one ball per group. The coach is positioned outside the grid with a supply of extra balls.

Procedure

The groups of three move freely around the space, making passes and using the entire space. The coach determines the combination pattern to be trained, as follows.

Checking In

1. Players should practice checking in to receive the ball (player A to player B).
2. After player B has received the ball, he picks his head up and connects with player C.
3. Player C then connects with player A so that all the groups of three are moving freely around the area, playing passes.

Heel Takeover

1. Player A goes across the bows (dribbles across the intended path) of player B at right angles.
2. Player A stops the ball and moves on as player B moves off with the ball.
3. Player B can carry on to do a heel takeover with player C. This is simple, but timing and coordination are important. Player A can keep the ball and use player B as a decoy.

Straight Takeover

In the straight takeover, both players run toward one another. Some good coaching points are to emphasize both players accelerating out of the exchange and to encourage the player who has taken over the ball to take it in behind the other player using the outside of the foot.

1. If player A carries the ball on his right foot, then player B will receive the ball on the outside of his right foot and take over the ball while reversing the direction.
2. As in the heel takeover, the player with the ball can retain the ball and use player B as a decoy. Player A, the player with the ball, controls this situation and determines whether he keeps the ball or makes the exchange.

Overlap

1. The overlap is when player A passes to player
   B, and as player B makes space, player A runs around her (overlaps) and player B plays the ball to the overlapping player A.
2. Player A then hits player C with a connecting pass.
3. The sequence begins again with player C doing an overlap around player A.

Round-the-Face Run

1. A round-the-face run is a run from the third player. Player A plays a pass to player B, who checks toward player C.
2. Player C times his run underneath player B and collects a pass from B. The pass can be first time but not necessarily, so the timing of the run is important.

Key Points

• All groups are working freely and moving within the area as they make decisions about where and when to play. It is a busy but quiet activity where players practice skills that they will use later.
• There are a lot of short sprints in this warm-up, and I usually intersperse each exchange with a more static technical drill.
• It is important that the groups execute the combination plays in a realistic manner.
• The coach can train as many patterns in one session as is appropriate for the team.

Variations

• Adjust the size of the grid for a larger number of players.
• Change the speed of execution (e.g., 10 seconds at medium pace, 10 seconds at maximum speed).