Football: Numbers Game

6 conditioned games with purpose, guaranteed to bring a smile to your players' faces and improve key areas of their game including possession, communication and attack.

2 teams. Each team has their own area in which they keep possession by passing the ball around.

The other team can send one player across to try and win the ball for their side. If they manage to win possession the roles reverse and the other team passes the ball inside their own area.

The winning team is the first team to put 10 passes together without losing the ball.

Play small sided game in a suitable area (e.g half field 6v6). Two teams attempt to score in any of the goals. A goal counts if the ball is passed through the goals and one of your teammates receives the pass round the otherside of the goal. The game is continued so it does not stop after every goal.

The aim of the drill is to work on helping your team keep possession all over the field. The game starts with normal rules, no limitations on touches, with both teams simply trying to score. The game changes when the coach shouts the following:

1. Possession - Players must keep possession in their own half, which of course means they are not allowed to score. If a team wins the ball, they must take the ball to their own half and try and keep it.

2. Normal - Teams return to a normal game and are allowed to score.

3. Barca - Similar to possession, but this time players must attempt to keep the ball in the other teams half, but they are not allowed to score. If the other team wins the ball they must get the ball into their opponent's half and keep it there.

One team runs clockwise round the inside of the circle with the other team running anti-clockwise around the outside of the circle (blue cones).

When the coach shouts 'Jailbreak' the players inside the inner circle try to 'escape' to outside the 10m x 10m square (yellow cones).

The inside team scores a point for each 'jailbreaker' - swap over. If you have an odd number of players give the defenders the extra man.