Training Library › Keeping the ball

3v3 + 1 Floater Possession — Escaping the Press with Fluid Movement

Fluidity and mobility (progressing and keeping the ball)

Players: 3+3+1 floaterArea: about 15×15 mAge: Any ageTime: 15 minPhase: Keeping the ball

Setup & rules

  • Possession inside a square area. The floater always plays with the attacking team, making it 4v3 in total.
  • When the defending team wins the ball, attack and defence switch without stopping play.

RULES: none in particular

Key factors

TACTICAL CONCEPTS
  1. Take balanced positions, wide and inside, in relation to the ball carrier
  2. If you are marked, move out of that space
  3. The order of movement: players closer to the ball carrier move first
  4. Players further away watch the movement of the nearer player and make a different movement (move into the space that has opened)
  5. If you come to support and the pass goes to another player, move quickly to the next position where you can support
  6. After passing, don't stop — support quickly so you can receive the return pass
TECHNICAL ACTIONS
  1. When receiving, set your body orientation to secure your field of vision (see the opponent)
  2. Pass after your teammate has got into position (use a dribble and holding the ball to buy time)
  3. If you are pressed as you receive, move the ball with your control (don't stop it at your feet)
  4. When you are under pressure, add a feint before the control

Progressions

  • If this practice is difficult, make the space bigger or give the attackers one more player, and the ball will circulate more easily. The players' technical level also plays a big part, so adapt to the situation

Kazu's notes FROM THE COACH

  • There are many tactical concepts, so it's fine to reduce them a little

* Grid size is an estimate from the diagram and numbers

Use this drill in your own session

Download it and open it in TRAINING DESIGNER — a free drill designer and session planner in your browser. Edit the diagram, change the numbers, add it to a session, and export as PDF, GIF or video.

In the app: menu → “Import external data” → choose the downloaded file. No sign-up needed. The original Japanese article: junior-soccer.college.

One idea a week from Japanese youth football

A free weekly essay on how kids actually learn the game — complexity, the ecological approach, and what 30 years on Japanese grassroots pitches taught me.

Related drills

I'm Kazu — a youth football coach in Japan since 1995. These are sessions I actually use, shared from the Japanese coaching site I have run for years (Junior Soccer College). I also write a free weekly newsletter on how children learn the game.