3v3 finishing waves: attacking with speed
40x25 m pitch with two goals and keepers: every attack starts with a pair dribbling on and joining their team-mate in the central zone, against two defenders entering from the opposite goal plus their own central player.
Step 1Entrada en oleada
1 / 3
El 1 conduce y el 2 hace la carrera paralela; entran dos defensores azules.
Objective
Attack at speed in a momentary overload, using the partner's parallel run to unbalance the defence, and finish before the 3v3 is closed down.
Organisation
40x25 m pitch with a halfway line and a central zone marked with cones whose lines act as offside lines. Two full-size goals with keepers. Two teams: pairs waiting beside their own goal with a ball and one player from each team inside the central zone. Bibs in two colours.
Development
- 1A pair from the red team enters from their goal: one dribbles and the other makes a parallel run to open the pitch.
- 2At the same time two blue defenders enter from the opposite goal; with the blue player in the central zone it becomes a 3v3.
- 3The attacker on the ball looks for a 2v1 with the central team-mate or the parallel runner and finishes as early as possible.
- 4Offside applies: the lines of the central zone are the offside lines for each team, and the central player cannot drop behind his line when defending.
- 5When the attack ends the blue defenders leave and a fresh blue pair enters attacking; the red pair that just attacked must immediately recover to defend.
- 6A goal scored by one of the players who started the attack counts double.
- 74-5 minute sets with keeper changes and a running score.
Coaching points4
- Parallel run from the partner, at full width: it unbalances the defender, who must choose between ball and runner.
- Find the 2v1 on the ball side before the third defender arrives.
- First touch forward and finish in the first gap that opens: there is no time to build.
- Immediate transition after finishing: the finisher is already thinking about defending.
Common mistakes3
- The two incoming attackers run together and cancel the width.
- The central player drops behind his offside line to defend.
- Long attacks with many passes that let the 3v3 close down.
Variations3
- No offside for younger age groups.
- The central player is a neutral who always attacks.
- 10-second limit per attack: if exceeded, the ball goes to the other team.
Progressions2
- A third defender may enter after five seconds to punish slow attacks.
- A goal after a parallel run and a pass into space counts triple.
Regressions2
- Defenders enter one second late to give the attack a clear advantage.
- Reduce the pitch to 30x20 m and play 2v2 plus the central player.
Tips
- Explain the offside lines clearly with a different cone colour for each team.
- Short, intense work time: at most four consecutive attacks per pair.