Prepare the first decision
10 minPlayers this activity: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 · 8 attending
Begin at walking pace in the numbered stations. In a four-person station, point to the carrier, nearest defender, covering defender and supporting receiver before anyone moves. Share the ball when needed; an observer watches the same decision and takes a ball turn on the next assigned round.
One delays; one covers. The covering player can still see ball and target.
Run the activity
- In a four-person station, point to the carrier, nearest defender, covering defender and supporting receiver before anyone moves.
- Pause on a raised hand and point to the space you chose.
- Swap the ball on the round signal and notice this feature: The covering player can still see ball and target.
Play
- In a four-person station, point to the carrier, nearest defender, covering defender and supporting receiver before anyone moves.
- Ground play only. No heading, sliding, body contact or tackles at a player's feet. Intercept loose ground passes only. Offer water or a pause whenever needed.
Watch for
The covering player can still see ball and target.
If you see: Both defenders stand level with the carrier.
Try: Freeze and move the cover player back toward the target.
Organisation
2 separate stations. Roles: carrier, nearest defender, covering defender, supporting receiver; extra players observe. Advance one slot each round. 4 turns cover every player. A first carrier turn can take up to 180s of activity. Waiting is active observation; add balls or reduce group size if it becomes too long.
7 rounds × 60 seconds. Timing: 420s activity · 60s briefing · 60s rest · 60s transition.
Adjust the challenge
Easier: Keep the carrier still and rehearse only defender positions.
Next step: Allow a sideways carry before the pass.
Move on: Stop the balls and identify the start positions for delay and cover.
24 × 30 m clear area with a 2 m perimeter buffer. 2 numbered stations, 8 numbered player slots, 2 balls and 8 cones. Each station shares one ball and rotates roles; dashed arrow shows an example travel or pass route. Focus: Delay the carrier with a covering teammate. Diagram shows starting positions, not fixed player locations. Three steps show delay cover using the first round's numbered players. Solid gold routes show the ball; dashed pale routes show player movement; dotted blue routes show a shadow or defender. Routes stay inside each numbered station. 1. Protect the route: Nearest defender protects space; no contact. 2. Change the ball side: Second defender covers behind when available. 3. Hand over nearest and cover: The old nearest defender drops; the partner now delays.
Round-by-round player roles
| Round | Assignments |
|---|---|
| 1 · 60s | 1: carrier (station 1); 3: nearest defender (station 1); 5: covering defender (station 1); 7: supporting receiver (station 1); 2: carrier (station 2); 4: nearest defender (station 2); 6: covering defender (station 2); 8: supporting receiver (station 2) |
| 2 · 60s | 1: supporting receiver (station 1); 3: carrier (station 1); 5: nearest defender (station 1); 7: covering defender (station 1); 2: supporting receiver (station 2); 4: carrier (station 2); 6: nearest defender (station 2); 8: covering defender (station 2) |
| 3 · 60s | 1: covering defender (station 1); 3: supporting receiver (station 1); 5: carrier (station 1); 7: nearest defender (station 1); 2: covering defender (station 2); 4: supporting receiver (station 2); 6: carrier (station 2); 8: nearest defender (station 2) |
| 4 · 60s | 1: nearest defender (station 1); 3: covering defender (station 1); 5: supporting receiver (station 1); 7: carrier (station 1); 2: nearest defender (station 2); 4: covering defender (station 2); 6: supporting receiver (station 2); 8: carrier (station 2) |
| 5 · 60s | 1: carrier (station 1); 3: nearest defender (station 1); 5: covering defender (station 1); 7: supporting receiver (station 1); 2: carrier (station 2); 4: nearest defender (station 2); 6: covering defender (station 2); 8: supporting receiver (station 2) |
| 6 · 60s | 1: supporting receiver (station 1); 3: carrier (station 1); 5: nearest defender (station 1); 7: covering defender (station 1); 2: supporting receiver (station 2); 4: carrier (station 2); 6: nearest defender (station 2); 8: covering defender (station 2) |
| 7 · 60s | 1: covering defender (station 1); 3: supporting receiver (station 1); 5: carrier (station 1); 7: nearest defender (station 1); 2: covering defender (station 2); 4: supporting receiver (station 2); 6: carrier (station 2); 8: nearest defender (station 2) |
Equipment: 2 balls · 8 cones · 0 goals
Round-by-round player roles
C = carrier · D = nearest defender · V = covering defender · S = supporting receiver. Times are activity seconds; briefing, rest and transition are separate.
| Player | Station | R1 60s | R2 60s | R3 60s | R4 60s | R5 60s | R6 60s | R7 60s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | C | S | V | D | C | S | V |
| 2 | 2 | C | S | V | D | C | S | V |
| 3 | 1 | D | C | S | V | D | C | S |
| 4 | 2 | D | C | S | V | D | C | S |
| 5 | 1 | V | D | C | S | V | D | C |
| 6 | 2 | V | D | C | S | V | D | C |
| 7 | 1 | S | V | D | C | S | V | D |
| 8 | 2 | S | V | D | C | S | V | D |