Let’s break down the 2–3–1 soccer formation, the most common and most effective setup for 7v7 soccer. But instead of just telling you where players stand, I want to give you something much more useful: a development framework.

We’re going to look at:

1. The formation and every position in it. How to set it up so it works both for results and for development.
2. How the 2–3–1 fits into the long-term growth of players—from 4v4, to 7v7, to 9v9, and eventually 11v11. It’s not up to the players to know this at their age, or even for the parents. But the coach must.
3. And finally, real, simple 6 key patterns of play that U9 and U10 players can actually understand and execute.

PART 1 — THE 2-3-1 SOCCER FORMATION & WHAT EACH POSITION DOES

The 2–3–1 is built on three simple ideas:
Width, depth, and support.
It creates a shape that’s easy to understand but gives players clear reference points to solve problems during the game.

Goalkeeper

At U9 and U10, the goalkeeper is not just a shot-stopper.
They’re the start of your build-up.

Their key jobs:

• Give a safe option behind the center backs
• Distribute short as the first choice
• Play with a higher starting position to sweep long balls

You don’t need a tiny Manuel Neuer back there—just someone willing to make simple decisions and stay connected to the team.

The Two Center Backs

These two players form the backbone of the formation.

Their key habits:
Stay connected—roughly 5 to 7 yards apart.
If one steps to the ball, the other provides cover. If you play in a 3-2-1 formation, you will have only one central defender that will not have a partner to learn this with.
This teaches the basic “pressure–cover” defensive principle they’ll use for the rest of their soccer life.

In possession, teach them to:

• Receive the ball wide of the goalkeeper
• Play simple passes into midfield
• Avoid dribbling forward unless there’s no pressure at all

This is also the age where they start understanding angles and body shape—so get them comfortable opening up and playing forward. When we attack, they should be allowed, and encouraged, to go all the way to the center of the field.

The Three Midfielders

This is where the formation really shines.

You have:
Left Midfielder, Center Mid, Right Midfielder.

Let’s start with the outside players.

Left and Right Midfielders

Their role is simple:
Be the width.

Wingers stretch the field horizontally, and that creates space for everyone else. The best way to explain this is to have the limit of left midfielder staying on the left side of the field, and the right midfielder on the right half.

They should:

• Stay wide early in build-up
• Drive forward with the ball when space opens
• Track back to help defensively on their side
• Combine with the striker in attacking transitions

For many players, these are the most fun positions—they get to dribble, run, and make things happen.

Center Midfielder

This position is the heartbeat of your 2–3–1.

This player controls the game with two responsibilities:
connect and protect.

They connect defenders to attackers, and they protect the middle of the field on defense. They will be under the most pressure, but also develop the fastest because they will have the most player actions per unit time.

The most important thing to teach your CM is:
Stay central. Don’t chase the ball everywhere.
Kids this age want to follow the ball like a magnet—so give them the confidence that their job is to hold the middle and appear as the option when everyone else needs support.

They’re also your switch player. When the left side is crowded, find the CM and then play to the right. Keep it simple.

The Striker

At U9 and U10, the striker isn’t just someone who scores.
They are the player who gives your team depth.

Their key jobs:

• Stay high enough to stretch the field
• Check toward the ball at the right moment
• Provide a clean layoff pass
• Press the opposition center backs on turnovers

This age group tends to have forwards who love drifting back into midfield.
You want the opposite:
“Stay high until the ball comes near you. Create space first.”

The beauty of the 2–3–1 is that this striker is rarely isolated—they almost always have passing options on both sides and behind.

PART 2 — HOW 2–3–1 SOCCER FORMATION FITS LONG-TERM DEVELOPMENT

One thing I always emphasize:
Formations are not about winning youth games.
They are about giving players a foundation for their future.

Here’s how 2–3–1 fits into the bigger picture.

From 4v4 → 7v7

At U8 and below, players learn the basics:

• Dribbling
• 1v1
• Using space
• Quick decisions
• Shooting often

There’s usually a diamond in the 4v4 format: one back, two wide, one forward. This means that they have three passing options, in addition to the opportunity to dribble.
The 2–3–1 soccer formation simply takes that diamond and adds an extra layer of support.

It introduces:

• Lines of players
• Angles of support
• Width with responsibility
• Organized build-up
• Roles without rigidity

This is exactly what 7v7 should be—a bridge, not a destination.

Preparing for 9v9 from the 2-3-1 soccer formation

Most clubs play some variations of 3–2–3 or 2–3–2-1 in 9v9.
The 2–3–1 transitions naturally into those shapes.

Center backs → become part of a back three or back 4.
Wide midfielders → become fullbacks or wingers.
Central Midfielder → becomes either the #6, the #8 or the #10.
Striker → becomes the 9 or part of a front two.

When you coach the 2–3–1 well, players don’t feel lost when they move to 9v9.
They already know spacing, width, depth, and how to keep good team shape.

Preparing for 11v11

Finally, the big field.

The 2–3–1 naturally teaches elements of:

• A back four – they learned how to work in pairs with pressure and cover methodology.
• The fullbacks learned to defend, but also push forward. They kept the same lesson from 2-3-1 soccer formation.
• The central midfielder wore lots of hats and roles, so that they can understand the 6, 8 and 10 roles.
• Wide players who understand width, but also understand the cutback benefit.
• A central striker who understands timing, holdup play and even dropping deep.

Kids who grow up with this formation understand the skeleton of 11v11:
Center backs who work together, wingers who stretch the field, and a midfield core that supports both defense and attack.

If you teach the habits now, the tactical jump to 11v11 is smooth.

PART 3 — PATTERNS OF PLAY FOR U9–U10 (SIMPLE & EFFECTIVE)

Patterns of play at this age shouldn’t be complicated. You don’t want rehearsed choreography. What you want is simple, repeatable habits that help kids understand how to move and combine. Here are the most effective ones.

Pattern 1: One-two or give-and-go

This is the simplest attacking structure. In this case, one player is a support to the other. Instead of dribbling, the winger decides to pass to the center-mid, and make a run forward to receive the ball behind their defender. Then, they repeat the same pattern with the striker as the supporting act. I coach rondos to teach passing, but the movement must go along with it. That’s why I do double rondos and possession games.

Coaching points:

• The support player first touch should be soft
• Winger runs immediately after the pass
• The pass cannot be too early – the winger must attract the pressure from their defender

Kids love this one because it feels like “real soccer.”

There is a video on the one-two pattern on the channel. Check it out after finishing this video – here’s the the link.

Pattern 2: Third-man passing

This is your basic triangle. Essentially, the center mid is a support, or also called third-man player. The center back wants to pass to the winger who is open, but that potential pass is blocked by an opponent. Instead, the center mid sees that intention, and acts as a support.

This pattern can be seen in other areas, too. Here’s another example, the center mid wants to pass to the striker, but there is simply no clear passing lane. Then the winger can act as the support and enable that pass.

Teach players to:

• Check to the ball
• Open up
• Play quickly into space
• Support after the pass

This pattern teaches spacing better than any drill. I’ve done a long video on this pattern that you can see in professional games, here’s the link to it.

Pattern 3: Defensive line change sides

When we are attacking on the left, the left winger might go all the way forward, and the left center-back becomes a fullback. The right center back comes more centrally and the right winger becomes a right fullback. To give freedom to the winger, the entire back line has to shift a bit to provide cover. The center mid here can have more freedom to support the attack because the back line provides both offensive and potentially defensive support. Look at how this line will shift to the other side if the ball also shifts. The right winger pushes and is no longer a fullback. The other three players dropped and shifted to the right, too. This is something we see from these 8 year olds all the way to professional teams, so learn it early.

Pattern 4: Counter-attacks in the 2-3-1 soccer formation

When attacking, the more attacking players can take positions from others if the space is there. For example, if the team is defending and clears the ball to the side, then the striker can get the ball and become a winger in this counter attack. It is up to the winger to claim the striker role and attack through the middle, instead of overcrowding the wing.

But let’s say that the winger is not moving fast enough for this counter attack. Should the center mid exploit the space for a counter attack? Absolutely! Then it is up to the winger to notice that and adjust by taking the central position in the midfield. As you can see, there was a rotation of these there players’ position for this attack. Afterwards, they will switch back, but for now we will attack with the players in these roles because that’s available.

The important habits here are:

• Attacking players exploit space
• More defensive players keep the structure
• The play stays predictable and safe in case there is loss of possession

Kids build confidence fast when they know where their options are.

Pattern 5: Defensive Shape With Covering

On defense, the position switch is forced, not opportunistically taken. This is not a permanent position change—just a recovery pattern. Let’s say the ball is lost and winger has lost the duel. The CBs are exposed with one of them covering for the winger. One option is for the other CB to shift more centrally and for the other winger to also drop in the defensive shape. That often is not fast enough. Instead, the CM drops into the gap of the central defenders to help until the team is organized again. This is a temporary delay until the two wingers recover to the right positions. Often times, the winger who was initially beaten, comes to the central midfield because it’s faster than coming all the way as a center back. As you can see, this is another triangle rotation, but in defense instead of offense.

This teaches:

• Cover
• Compactness
• Responsibility when the ball is lost

Again, keep it simple. Just “drop and protect the middle.”

Pattern 6: Pressing Trigger in the 2-3-1 Soccer Formation

Finally, pressing at youth levels is extremely effective. The very basic high press:

• Striker presses the opponent’s center back and blocks the pass to the other defender and keeper
• Winger closes the fullback to prevent the simple outlet pass
• CM steps up to block the passing lane inside

Kids love pressing because it feels aggressive and exciting. Just keep it organized with simple rules. The important part is for players to learn to think like the opponent. What does the opponent hate the most? Lack of options and increased pressure. This thought pattern needs to become second nature for the players, so it’s important to start early and understand how they work as a team to find the pressing triggers. Check out the video that I made specifically for this pattern.

CONCLUSION

So that’s the full look at the 2–3–1 formation.

It’s clean, it’s simple, and most importantly—it’s development-first.

It gives your players a framework they can actually understand, while teaching the core habits of real soccer:
width, depth, support, pressure, and transitions.

If you coach these ideas consistently, your players will be confident and ready for 9v9 and eventually 11v11.

Crossing in soccer is one of the oldest and most effective ways of creating chances. Whether it’s a low ball whipped across the box, a deep delivery to the far post, or a clever cutback, the cross is often the moment that separates average teams from dangerous ones.

In this video, we’ll break down everything you need to know about crossing — from the perspective of the attacker delivering the ball, the different types of runs attackers should make, how defenders should deal with it, and how to train these situations at every age group. As always, there will be drills I recommend for practicing at various levels and age groups.

Part 1: The Role of the Crosser

When we talk about crossing, the starting point is always the player on the ball — the crosser. As every player action in soccer, there are three elements we need to consider – the scanning, the decision and the execution.

Scanning – Crossing in Soccer

Let’s start with the scanning. There are two key factors for the crosser, firstly is where the teammates can be by the time the ball is delivered. Notice that I talked about where the players can be, not where the players are. The crosser should have several glances of the field. That way they can see both the snapshot of the current position, but also the movie of the momentum of the players. We are looking at the empty spaces and where the players are running into, not just where we saw them last.

Opposition – Crossing in Soccer

The second factor is the opposition. And on the opposition, the most important player is the closest player to the ball. One of the best players of all time when it comes to crossing is David Beckham. While he was not the fastest or had much skills to dribble, he had to key moves. Firstly, he could sell a fake cross to actually create space for himself to actually cross the ball on the next touch. Secondly, he would use one of his teammates in a one-two move and deliver a cross with first touch.

Decision Making – Crossing in Soccer

The decision making comes with experience and is naturally linked with both the scanning and the execution capabilities. If a player doesn’t scan on the second post, then they will never attempt to deliver a ball there. And why are they not scanning the second post? Maybe because they are not good at scanning, but maybe because their execution technique is not good enough to even try that, so they already have decided against that option. Remember, the best cross is the one that matches your teammate’s run — not the one you are most comfortable or the most spectacular one.

Execution – Crossing in Soccer

Finally, the execution is about repetition and practice. You need to open your hips, approach the ball at an angle and keep your head steady when striking. The mechanics such as the exact position where you plant the supporting foot and where you strike the ball are different depending on whether you’re going for a driven low ball or a floated one. However, you need to get comfortable with 4 basic executions.

First post

If you notice your striker winning a run on the first post, you have to be able to deliver a simple ball there. It’s the closes to you and because of that you can pick different technique for a last moment adjustment of the shot. Note that if you deliver it with high velocity, then the striker doesn’t need to shoot, but it needs only a touch to guide the ball to the goal.

Second post

This can be harder because it’s longer distance. Note that usually you would hit the ball at an angle with the inside of the foot. For example, a right footed right winger delivers this ball on the second post for the left winger that is making a run. The ball will curve away from the goalkeeper and often go around the defenders that are between the goalkeeper and the attacking players.

Low ball or bouncing ball

The target here is very clear, which is for our teammate to just touch the ball and guide it into the goal. The ball will be fast and hard to control. Defenders might also struggle when a ball like this is delivered, because they need to clear it and make sure that they don’t score an own goal or kick it into a teammate or an opponent. When the ball is fast and unpredictable, it can be harder than it looks, so we see often comical own goals.

Cut back

Last but not least. The cut back cross is a signature move of intelligent players. The crosser needs to see the runner, but also the receiver must be patient and smart enough to allow both the teammates and the opponents to anticipate balls on the first and second post, and vacate the space for the cutback to work. One important thing about the crosser – the body position should still signal that the ball will be delivered on the first or the second post. It’s essentially a fake, a misdirection for the defenders, in order to sell this move.

Part 2: Runs in the Box

Crossing only works if attackers make intelligent runs. The most important thing we are looking for when making runs is to identify the empty space that we can run into. It’s less of a picture and more of a movie – we are looking few frames ahead where the player can be and where the ball should be delivered. There is a moment right before the player with the ball looks up to see where the ball should be crossed. That’s the moment when the runner should change direction and pace, so it shows where the cross should come in. Let’s break down the three most common runs:

First Post Run

People often complain that we don’t have too many classic strikers anymore. The classic striker does the first post run and gets to the ball first. The true striker instinct is to get to the ball first. They can striker with their foot or it might be a header, but they have to get to the ball first, often including physical contact with the defender. The striker’s run is often straight through the middle. Then at one moment the striker needs to change direction and sprint to get in front of the defender. That special moment is when the striker notices that the crosser is ready to cross and has lifted their head up, so the striker starts that sprint to signal to the crosser where to get the ball.

Second Post Run

The second post run is actually more interesting. It can be the striker, but more often the opposite winger or late-arriving midfielder. The run often has two phases. First step is to stretch the defense by running further from the ball. The second step is to run into the ball when it’s crossed, often opposite from the first run. The defender won’t have this momentum and would be relatively static, so the runner can get to the ball first.

Cutback Zone Run

We briefly touched on this earlier when talking about the crosser role. Let’s look a bit more from the runner point of view. The two important parts of this run are the empty space and the timing of the run. The empty space is created both by the attacking players who run on the first and the second post. If the striker didn’t make the first post run, both the striker and the defender will occupy the space where the cutback pass should happen. Same goes for the opposite winger on the second post.

The second important point is that there has to be a run with a change of direction and pace. If the run is by an attacking midfielder, it goes from outside the penalty box, towards the penalty spot. If the run is by the opposite winger, it will have a dummy run to the second post, then cut back towards the penalty spot. We are talking about the penalty spot, but what we are really looking for is the area between the two defensive lines – the defenders and the midfielders. The holding midfielder often drops back to help the defenders, which leaves the area wide open.

Part 3: Momentum when Crossing in Soccer

Together, these three runs force defenders to cover the entire width of the box — making it much harder to defend. I want to make one more point and that is about the momentum. There are essentially three general states – players running towards goal, standing still, running back.

Counterattacking

Say there is a counterattack and our winger has the ball. Both the attackers and the defenders are running towards the goal. All types of crosses can work in that case, but choosing the perfect one will depend on the situation. For example, if the players are outside of the box when I am crossing the ball, I will try a low cross, so that somebody can run into it and have a shot. If the players are closer to the goal, I will have to pick between crossing on the first and the second post. And if players are still running and hoping for a low cross in the 6 yard box, I will either do that or look for a cut back, because the attackers have moved the defensive line so low.

Stallemate

Now, let’s say I have failed to cross the ball for whatever reason, maybe my defender blocked me or simply prevented me from crossing the ball. My teammates have slowed down and stopped, same as the defenders. If I try to cross the ball at that point the teammates are outnumbered, have no momentum and some of them might be stuck in offside. Two factors can change this. Firstly, a good cross can fix that – either a very strong ball that bounces close to the goal, or a precise cross that will float above the heads of the defenders and land in front of a teammate. Secondly, the crosser is close to the goal line, then there is virtually no risk of offside. This is how corner kicks often look in a game.

Pullback

Finally, let’s assume that I have made a fake cross, then switched to my other foot and plan to cross. The result is that defenders are regrouping, starting to push up, creating an offside trap. Doing a cutback cross at this point is usually useless. Doing a regular cross usually results in an offside. The most important player here is the late runner who will aim to get the ball into space or at least break the offside trap. If you don’t have that runner, it is very hard to create anything against a good opponent. You often see at set pieces that the defenders push a high line with an offside trap, only to be broken by a late runner, not the usual suspects who are all caught in offside.

Part 4: Training Crossing in Soccer

How do you introduce this in training? Let’s go step by step:

• Ages 6–9 (No Heading, Simple Finishes)

Start with low, ground crosses. Drills: 3v1 in wide areas — winger crosses, striker finishes with the inside of the foot. The rule is that the winger must cross from wide, outside of something that will look like a penalty area. Focus on timing of the run rather than power.

• Ages 10–12 (Introduce Aerial Awareness, Still Minimal Heading)

Add bouncing crosses and whip. Players can start practicing attacking different zones of the box. Encourage players to recognize when to cut back vs. play across goal. At this age, cut back crosses will already work just fine. So really, the three options are low on first post, low on second post, and cut back. If the striker goes on first post, the second winger is ready for second post or cutback. If the striker waits, then the second winger makes the run.

• Ages 13+ (Introduce Heading, More Complex Patterns)

Now heading is not just legal, but also safe to introduce. Practice timing jumps and attacking the ball at its highest point. Add more defenders to simulate real game pressure. Drill: 4v2 crossing and finishing — one crosser, three attackers, two defenders, plus a goalkeeper.

• Advanced Level

Professional clubs today have dedicated coaches only for set pieces, which of course are just one aspect of crossing. The main thing in the advanced level is the flow and the timing. Things are executed at full sprint and things are coordinated, such as full-backs overlapping, midfielders arriving late, wingers rotating inside. There is wide crossing, but also crossing from half-spaces, trying different types of crosses, different kinds of runs and with different momentum.

Part 5: The Defensive Side of Crossing in Soccer

While this video focuses on attacking, you can’t talk about crossing without mentioning how to defend it.

• Goalkeeper
  • Needs to command the box. Coming out for a cross can kill the danger before it even arrives, but it has to be well timed. The goalkeeper has to do the most communication and be the most vocal person in the box.
• Defenders
  • Near-post defender must block the most dangerous run and don’t hesitate to kick it out for corner.
  • Central defender takes the striker in front of goal and often should care more about not conceding, then intercepting the ball. What I am trying to say is that they must prevent the striker from getting the ball first and foremost. Let the other teammates worry about the ball.
  • Far-post defender must tuck in but still be aware of the back-post run.
• Midfielders
  • Track cutback zones. Many goals come from midfielders arriving late and unmarked. The holding midfielder might drop to help the defenders, but the other midfielders must get back and be disciplined when the team is defending. If not the cross, they will need to clear the second ball.

By sprinkling in defensive awareness while coaching crossing, players understand the balance of the game better.

The Magic of Crossing in Soccer

Crossing may look simple, but when done right, it’s one of the most powerful ways to break down defenses. The timing, the delivery, the finishing — they all have to work together.

If you found this breakdown helpful, check out my other videos on attacking movements and positioning. And if you coach or play, try some of these drills with your team — you’ll see how quickly crossing can become a real weapon.

The Real Goal of Coaching U5-U8 Soccer Drills

I have been coaching youth soccer for many years, but this year I got a group of 5 years old kids for the first time. Let me share with you all the things you need to know when coaching them. As always, I will share these u5-u8 soccer drills that worked for me. But also, I will talk a bit about the approach to take with the players at this age, such as tricks to get them organized and attentive, while also engaged in soccer activities.

Let’s define the goal – at U5, U6, U7 and U8, remember one simple objective: it’s not about getting their attention to do as you say – it’s about getting them to do soccer things. At this age, most kids won’t “learn” from your explanations. They’ll learn from doing. Your job isn’t to make them listen perfectly — it’s to make sure they’re moving, touching the ball, and having fun doing soccer-related actions. Even if they ignore you half the time, if they dribble, shoot, chase, and play, they’re developing the foundation they need for later years.

Attention Span Limit

The challenge for you is to convey whatever message in 10 or 15 seconds max. If you can’t, then either simplify the drill or the concept, or practice giving instructions in 10 seconds outside of practice. I do have some tricks for keeping attention, which can be a struggle for even 10 to 15 seconds – I share them at the end of the video. For most of the players, you are the first and potentially only window into the soccer world. So, in a way they equate you with soccer. You can make them fall in love with soccer or make them hate it. So keep that in mind as we go through these drills — they’re all about doing soccer things, not doing other things and not just standing and talking about soccer things.

No-Opponent U5-U8 Soccer Drills

The first group of drills is no-opponent drills. The gap between the players is likely very large as the only thing common for them is the area whey they live and roughly the age. So some naturally athletic kid that played for 6 months, will look miles ahead of another kid who never played soccer. For this, here are several drills where every kid has a ball and is taking time to get familiarized with it during practice. At this age, make a story out of it, to make it more fun for the kids.

1. Gates Dribbling

Set up small gates all around the field — two cones about a yard apart. Players need to dribble through as many gates as they can in a set time. It sounds easy, but for beginners, even keeping the ball close enough to get through a gate is a challenge. This develops basic dribbling control, awareness, and soft touches — in a way that feels like a game.

2. Volcanoes

Cones are volcanoes, and players need to stop the lava by placing their ball on top of the cone. You need those cones where the top is cut. This is great for teaching ball control and familiarity. It’s not intense — kids love it because it feels like a game, not a drill. Perfect for warming up or resetting focus if they start getting tired or distracted. They will roll the ball a bit, as well as slow down before a cone. If they don’t like this game within few weeks, it means they experienced enough of competition, and find that to be the exciting part of the game.

3. Follow the Leader

Make a large square — maybe around the size of the penalty box. One player is the leader, and everyone else follows. Start without a ball so they learn spacing and movement, then add the ball and make it a dribbling game. The goal is for them to control the ball while keeping pace with the leader. You can switch leaders often to keep everyone involved and active.

4. River of Cones

Set up a “river” — a path of cones with a clear dribbling lane between them. Players dribble through the river, staying inside the boundaries. Later, you can add “rocks” or “obstacles” (extra cones) they must avoid. At the end, add a small goal — they dribble, avoid cones, and shoot.
This combines coordination, control, and finishing — three soccer actions in one sequence.

5. Dribble and Do a Trick

This one builds skill and quick reactions. While everyone’s dribbling around, yell out a command. At the first practice, start simple — “Stop the ball”, or “Switch feet!” Next time, add a trick: “Pull back!” or “Pull-push!” Each week, introduce one new move. It keeps them challenged and gives structure to their development — but it’s still fun and reactive.

U5-U8 Soccer Drills with Opponents

Let’s now talk about drills with opponents. For older players I almost exclusively do drills with opponents, although they don’t have to be even sides. As you can see on the channel, there are lots of rondos, passing or possession games where one team has more players. This method of teaching is also called scaffolding, where you are creating the environment to make certain aspect easier until the players are proficient enough to increase the challenge to a level closer to the real game.

6. Races with the ball!

There is no defense in these drills and they are perfect transitions between the no-opponent and the opponent games. Kids love to race, especially at this age. They know that instinctively, unlike soccer that is still a more structured and unfamiliar to them. You can simply have races around a cone, then both players shoot on a goal. The objective is to score the goal first. You can control a lot in this races, where just one change, such as position of the goals, the cones or the starting point, can change the challenge. They might need to practice a pull back or a change in direction, as the most optimal move.

7. 1v1 or 2v2 Mini Games

I will not go through a practice without 1v1 or 2v2 games. Make sure both sides have a fair chance to score, and adjust the size of the field or goals if one side is dominating. You want every kid to feel like a winner, even if the score doesn’t say it. This teaches competitiveness, direction, and the joy of scoring goals — all without needing to explain tactics or positioning. I sometimes add something special that I want to coach – for example, I roll the ball to them, so they practice receiving.

Here is what I did at one of the last practices – they need to receive the ball and go sideways to one of the goals while the defender is challenging them. It’s something that I’ve seen they struggle in a game with receiving a loose ball, so I integrated it into a drill without them even really knowing.

8. River with Sharks

This is their first taste of passing. Don’t do this at the first practice if they are new players – I tried it, and it didn’t work. They need a bit of ball control. Set three zones, where the middle is called the river, with one group is on each side. Players must pass the ball across the river without letting the shark — that’s you — intercept it. Kids love it because it’s a challenge. You can start easy and make it harder over time — move the shark, add more players as the sharks, or make the passes longer.

9. Bring the Ball Back

Scatter balls around the field — far away from the goal. Tell them they have to “rescue” the balls, bring them back, and shoot to score. At first, everyone has a ball. Later, have fewer balls than players so they have to race and compete to get one. It’s simple, but it builds ball control, direction, and the idea of attacking a goal — all while feeling like a mission. Similarly to some of the other drills, I modify this drill be me kicking the ball towards them to receive it. They simply don’t practice receiving that much at this age, and they struggle in games by kicking it blindly. So I create the situation to train that at practice.

Attention & Coaching Tricks

Now, no matter how good your drills are, there will be moments when things get chaotic.
Here are a few coaching hacks to help keep control — without shouting. I have learned them through the years by observing other coaches and seeing what works and what doesn’t. Obviously, I am sharing the ones most appropriate for the youngest players here.

A. The Countdown Rule

When you need everyone’s attention, start counting down from 5. Kids love racing against the clock and with each other. They’ll rush to finish and gather up before you hit “1.”

B. The 10-Second Rule

When you say “10 seconds,” it tells players that you’ll only talk for 10 seconds — and they can focus that long. It forces you to be concise, and them to listen. If you can’t explain it in 10 seconds, simplify the drill. And make sure you don’t get carried away because they gave you the attention – don’t break your promise.

C. The Runaway Trick

If things are getting silly and players stop listening, don’t yell — just start running. Sprint 10 or 15 yards away and shout, “Race me!” or “who can catch me?”. They’ll instantly chase you. Once you’ve got their attention back, reset the group and move on. You can also find a reference point, so instead of chasing you, the challenge can be to race around the goal, or race to the other goal where they will get the next instruction.

These tricks reset their energy, break the chaos, and get you back to doing soccer things.

Conclusion

At the U5–U8 level, remember — it’s not about running the perfect session or teaching tactics.
It’s about giving kids as many touches and moments of joy with the ball as possible. If they’re laughing, running, and kicking the ball — that’s success. Because before they can learn soccer, they have to love soccer.

I can’t coach you height. It will take me years to coach you technique and it will take you years to develop physically with the right training plan. But you can instantly improve your game with getting better at positioning and movement. And I am not talking about a bit better. You will see the difference of getting the ball and being frustrated again. Positioning isn’t just about where you stand — it’s about how you make the game easier for yourself and your teammates. In 11 lessons, I’ll get you there. We’ll start with the basics, then build up step by step until you’re thinking like the best players in the world

Basic Soccer Positioning – Learn them ASAP

The first 3 lessons are The Basics of Positioning. For most of you, this will be too elementary. However, I still see it at top teams, where a player is too tired or careless and doesn’t do these basic things. They are simple to explain, but not easy to do, especially on a consistent basis. The time to learn them is as early as possible, regardless of the age of the soccer players.

1. Compress on Defense

When your team loses the ball, think compress. Individually, that means you get between the opponent and your goal. You close down space, you deny passing lanes, and you make sure that if they want to score, they have to go through you. If you are marking a player without the ball, they have the advantage of deciding when to make a run. However, your positioning between them and your goal gives you an advantage of being closer to your goal, so there is less distance to cover.

2. Expand on Offense

The opposite is true when you win the ball back. Think expand. Stretch the field, give your teammates options, and create space to play. The wider and deeper you move, the more passing lanes open up. If you receive the ball, you have more space to maneuver it and decide what to do. If you don’t get the ball, then you’ve dragged your opponent further away from your teammate and created space for them.

3. Be Available and pass

The simplest rule: can your teammates pass to you? Positioning is about being seen and found. If your teammate with the ball looks up, are you showing in a way that makes the game easy for them? Don’t hide next to or behind an opponent. And if you have the ball, look to quickly move it. If you are not sure you can dribble or shoot, it’s ok to pass it, it will come back to you.

Intermediate Soccer Positioning Lessons

Now that we know the basics, let’s get into the intermediate positioning concepts. You need to really understand and practice the basics, but that will only get you so far. If you are playing full field 11v11 soccer, only one player has the ball at a time. That means that 21 players on the field don’t. What they do with their bodies can be just as important, if not more, than the player with the ball.

4. Playing Area vs Boundaries

There’s a difference between just being “on the field” and being in the actual playing area. If you are defending team, try to cut out the passing lanes and redefine the playing area. While this team is playing 11v11 officially, they have isolated the right back, center mid and right winger, in a 3v4 situation. The extra defender is there because the other side is completely empty, but they don’t care because that’s not the playing area. By closing the passing lanes, they’ve essentially redefined the playing area into this 3v4 tight area.

5. Third-Man Support

The third man is a key concept. Sometimes the teammate with the ball can’t pass to you directly. But if a teammate comes to help at the right time and the right spot, they can be the support. Instead of the ball going directly from Player A to you, it goes from Player A, to Player B, and then to you. That little triangle unlocks defenses. Check out the deep dive video about this on the channel.

6. The One-Two Instead of Dribbling

Instead of forcing dribbles, think one-two. If you pass and immediately move, you position yourself for a quick return that often beats defenders. Imagine you are facing the defender, so your momentum is forward and the defender is exactly the opposite. Instead of risking with a dribble, use your teammate for a quick one-two and sprint pass your opponent. It’s simple positioning and timing that makes you look way faster than you are.

7. Playing Into Space

Remember: the further you are from the ball, usually the more space you have available to receive. The ball takes some time to travel. If a teammate is nearby and an opponent has closed the passing lane by being in the middle, then it’s really closed. However, if the distance is large, then the passing lane is not really closed because you pass where the player should be by the time they receive the ball, not now. You can pass on either side of the opponent, or even lob the ball over their head.

Professional Soccer Positioning

The concepts so far can be seen on a pickup from some experienced players. They are individual skills that come natural after a few years of playing. However, at the top level, this won’t cut it. It’s like playing chess looking only 2 steps ahead; it’s a good start, but if the opponent is looking 6 steps ahead, you are in big trouble.

8. The Third-Man Run

At a higher level, it’s not just about supporting passes — it’s about running into space while the ball is still played between your teammates at a different part of the field. That’s the third-man run. You anticipate where the ball will end up and get there just as your teammate plays it. You have to make the run, but your teammate must see you and execute that pass at the right moment, too. Check out the video talking about the third-man runs in depth.

9. Inviting Pressure to Create Space

Sometimes, the smartest positioning is not about putting pressure and attacking forward, but inviting the pressure from the defense to stretch the field. You receive the ball knowing defenders will close you down — and by drawing them in, you open up space for your teammates. This is how top midfielders control games. They don’t just keep possession, but they make the opponent believe that if they put more pressure, they can gain advantage. Of course, there is the element of risk, but that’s why only top teams do that well.

10. Switching Sides

If one side is blocked, the best players reposition to switch the attack. Let’s say your winger just got the ball and you come closer to them as a creative midfielder planning for a 2v2 situation. If the defenders all came there very fast and the situation went from 1v1 to 3v5, then your role is not to attack anymore. You need to recycle possession and look to switch the ball to the open space on the far side. There is a 1v1 situation opening there, so exploit it.

11. Just stand there – wait for the opponent to challenge

This is the hardest lesson for players, because they have been conditioned to always be active. Let’s take the example from before where you got a 2v2 potential opportunity. Once you’ve come to support, you think it’s up to you to decide if you should come closer to the ball, do an overlap or drop to receive the ball. Your positioning reacts to what the opponent gives you in some cases. If your opponent is just marking you, your teammate still has the 1v1 situation. If your opponent is marking you very tightly or decided to challenge your teammate, you make an underlapping run straight to goal. If your opponent dropped deeper to support their teammate, then you can receive the ball to play one-two or switch sides. In all of these cases, your opponent decided which risk they are willing to take. In the meantime, you just stood there.

You are never done learning soccer positioning

These were the 11 lessons that you should understand, study and practice, in order to develop your positioning where you benefit from being in the right time at the right place. If you start practicing these steps, your positioning will improve faster than your fitness or your technical skills ever could. Positioning makes the game easier — and that’s why the best players seem to have so much time on the ball. Thank you for watching! See you in the next one!

Have you ever noticed that the best players on a youth soccer team are often the oldest ones in their age group? That’s not a coincidence. It’s something called relative age effect in soccer, and it has a massive impact on which kids succeed, who gets overlooked, and even who quits the sport altogether and not because of the harsh conditions on the soccer field. In this video, I’ll explain what relative age is, why it matters so much in soccer, and most importantly—what we can do about it.

What is Relative Age Effect?

Relative age is the difference in development between two players who practically fall into the same age group, but are born months apart.

For example, imagine a U9 team where one player was born in January and another in December. On paper, they’re both “8 years old.” But in reality, the January player is almost a full year older, which is 10 % of the life of that kid, making them stronger, faster, and more coordinated. Coaches notice this, give that player more playing time, and invest more attention in them. The December player, meanwhile, struggles to keep up, gets fewer minutes, loses confidence, and sometimes drops out of the sport altogether.

This isn’t just theory, it’s been studied extensively. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, talks about Canadian hockey. Most elite players were born in the first few months of the year because their age cutoff was January 1st. In the youth clubs and youth national teams, players play in teams based on their birth year. Those older kids were bigger, better, and therefore got selected for the top teams, which gave them even better training and competition. The small early advantage snowballed into a massive one.

Soccer works the exact same way. The date of birth can literally decide who gets the opportunities to grow and who gets left behind. The soccer federations usually try to fix this by reshuffling the months of the year – what if we make it by school year instead of calendar year? What if we mandate 3 players born in every quarter of the year to be invited for the youth national teams? Ok, maybe that last idea is not bad. But overall, the solutions often looks like they are putting a band aid on a broken leg. It looks like they are doing something, but only to somebody who has the TikTok attention span and understanding of the situation. The consequences and the issues are much deeper, so a little nothing change won’t go far.

Extra Problems Beyond Birth Month

Relative age doesn’t just stop at the calendar. There are other layers of inequality:

Late Puberty

Some kids hit their growth spurt at 12, others at 15. The early developers suddenly look like superstars, while the late bloomers might look like they don’t belong. Often, once those late bloomers catch up physically, they can be just as good—or better. However, if they don’t get the chance to play and to be coached by good coaches, then they won’t develop technically as much as the kids who hit puberty early. Not only they can be physically more dominant, but certain cognitive functions that influence their soccer positioning and decision-making, can also be affected.

Coordination During Growth Spurts

When players shoot up in height, their coordination often disappears for a year or two. It’s not that they’re unathletic—it’s just their body needs time to adjust. If coaches mistake that awkwardness for a lack of talent, they risk cutting players who just need time. I’ve had players who had completely lost their confidence because it looked like they got worse while other players got better. The reality was that their bodies grew so fast and everything looked clumsy for a while.

Late Starters in Soccer

Some kids only start playing seriously at 11, 12, or even later. At first, they might be behind technically, but many catch up quickly—especially if they bring in transferable skills from other sports like basketball, gymnastics, or track. Don’t forget that they will also look like they don’t know where to be on the field. Because they don’t. If they have been watching organized soccer for about three hours total, while others have been on the team for over three years, it’s like being confused why all people born in 1955 can’t play cello like Yo-Yo Ma. It’s not the birth year, it’s the decades of practice.  

At the youth level, physicality often outweighs skill. Being taller, faster, or stronger can dominate a game, even if the technically weaker player has better potential long-term. That’s why relative age, puberty timing, and physical development play such a huge role in who rises and who gets overlooked.

What to Do About the Relative Age Effect

So, all of this is bad? How do we fight back against relative age bias? Firstly, not everything is bad. Let’s look at the example of Mesut Ozil. He was technically and tactically as close to perfection as you can get. His vision and awareness were at the very top. However, even at his peak, he was physically inferior. He developed his skills while playing pickup with his older brothers and their friends. So he had to rely on non-physical advantages, such as the technique and vision. You might see the secret ingredient here. Firstly, he played a lot, and at a level that challenged him. Secondly, he felt safe and comfortable, because his brothers were there. Thirdly, he played both at the challenging level, with his brothers, and at the more appropriate level of physical demands. But when he played in his own club, he transferred the skills he obtained playing with the older kids. Lucky genius!

Advice for Coaches handling the Relative Age Effect

At the youngest ages, give equal playing time. Don’t bench kids just because they’re smaller or younger in the group. Development comes from minutes on the field. Your job is not to win with the 3^rd team in the club with bunch of 10 years old kids. Your job is to give a chance for each of those kids to reach the 1^st team in 5 years if they work hard for that.

Keep squads lean. If you have 20 players but only 11 can start, someone is losing valuable playing time. Keep the squad to 15 players and if you are short on few. Then loan players from other teams in the club. They should be able to play nearly every minute—it might not be good for “business” to keep the squad lean, but it’s the right thing for development.

Watch for late developers. Don’t write kids off too early. Some of the best pros were once considered “too small” or “too slow” at youth level. Develop the technique, decision making, communication and awareness. As a friend of mine, who is a basketball coach says “I can’t coach height, but I can coach everything else”.

Remember they are young players – they will discover their egos, face fears, social pressure and other challenges, many for the first time. As a coach, you are as much of a life coach as you are a soccer coach. The problem in front of you might not be to coach the technique of the trivela. Maybe is to make the kid believe that their teammates like them and will pass to them.

Advice for Parents and Players for handling the Relative Age Effect

Make sure your child is playing a lot. The most important factor is not what level they’re on, but how many minutes they get. I find it absolutely crazy when a parent would rather have their kid be on a bench of the 3^rd team, than be a starter on the 4^th team. Or even worse, sit on a bench during victory, instead of play the game in a defeat.

Don’t panic if your child isn’t on the top team right away. I’ve seen players jump multiple internal team levels within a single year—not because they were born in January or hit puberty early, but because they played nearly every minute and developed fast. Don’t forget that coaches are humans, so if the player is one of the stars on the team, they will get more attention from the coach, not just playing time.

Remember, soccer development is a long journey. A December-born player who sticks with it and gets minutes can absolutely catch up to, or even pass, the January-born kids. Your goals should always be to optimize for the love of the sport, which heavily influences the second most important factor, which is the development.

Final Thoughts

Relative age is real. It shapes careers, confidence, and opportunities in soccer. But if we as coaches, parents, and players focus on consistent playing time and patient development, we can level the playing field.

So next time you’re watching a youth game, don’t just look at who’s the biggest or fastest. Think about who’s getting the minutes, who’s being overlooked, and how much potential might still be hidden.

If your 7v7 team treats goal kicks like hot potatoes, just punting the ball upfield and hoping for the best — you’re not alone. But what if I told you those few seconds after winning a goal kick could be your biggest opportunity to teach your players composure, decision-making, and real tactical awareness?
Playing out from the back isn’t just something for professional teams with perfect pitches and TV cameras. It’s one of the most valuable habits you can start building right now — even in 7v7 youth soccer. We’ll break down what playing out from the back really means, why it matters at this level, and how to do it in a way that makes sense for young players.

How do you Play From The Back in 7v7?

Firstly, let’s set the stage. 7v7 is usually played at U10 or younger in the US. This is relevant because we will assume that players can only kick to about half the field. If this is an adult league and players can pass anywhere on the field, then the story will be different. This is because I would advise that if there is a high press of the opponents with 4 or 5 players high up, you should always try to find your attackers up front and give them a chance to score a goal. In fact, if you have a player at U10 that can distribute these passes, do that. I have seen it once where the goalkeeper could pin a pass anywhere on the field. That changed our tactics to avoid high press when he had the ball. One more detail for the context of this analysis. We play in a 2-3-1 formation and the opponents also play in 2-3-1 formation for now. We will discuss how to adapt to different kinds of press later in the article.

Our formation gives us numerical advantage at the back, with two defenders and goalkeeper against the one striker. Why is it that hard to break from it then? If the opponents are not playing high press or at least not successfully, there is not much we need to do. However, at youth levels, the technical abilities are often not developed across the players, same as the positional knowledge or discipline. So, high press is extremely effective, compared to professional games.

Usually the opponents start closing the other passing options and from 3v1 it becomes 3v3 or even 3v4. The wide players on our team cannot receive the ball with the passing lanes closed, while both the central midfielder and the striker are also marked tightly. If we ask the players to position rigidly in their positions, waiting for the ball, they will likely be exposed.

Principles for Playing from the Back

Some coaches want to coach patterns, but I prefer coaching principles first. The reason is that patterns are faster, but they are not scalable. I change one parameter, such as the opponent’s formation or the moment we switch to 9v9, and everything falls apart. Instead, I prefer to coach principles – coaching the “why” before the “how”. Here are the most important ones to coach at this age.

Principle 1: Be available and want the ball

When you have only 6 teammates on the field, you have to be either available for the ball or be one touch away from it. In the situation earlier, you saw that the defenders tried to convert a 3v1 into 3v4 by cutting out the passes to the players they were marking. As a teammate, you want to change that and become part of the game again. So, maybe the wingers will drop lower to be able to receive that pass. Or the central midfielder will move sideways to open a channel for the pass. Soccer is a team sport, you need to make the life easier for your teammates.

Principle 2: Anticipation is more important that physicality

The true speed in soccer comes from the brain, not just the feet. Let’s look at a simple play. The central defender on the right received the ball. The striker is blocking the pass to the central midfielder and rushing forward, one of the winger is blocking the pass wide, while the other one is closing in on the other defender. The elegant solution is for a soft ball into space for the central midfielder who will find the winger who is already running forward as a third-man and we are off to a quick counter attack forward. In order for all this to happen, you need at least the central defender, the midfielder and the winger to all anticipate the movement of the defenders and of each other. If the ball is passed into space, but the receiver is clueless about their role, it will not work.

Principle 3: Booting and long pass are not the same

If the defender in the previous situation can kick the ball far enough for our striker to receive it, they should always do that. Obviously, if the striker can just go and score after receiving the ball, then that’s the fastest path to the goal, which is what we always want. However, if they can’t just turn and go to goal, it’s still much better to break the lines. We did a deep dive on breaking the lines, so check that out. In a nutshell, the striker can drop the ball to any of the three midfield players, all of whom are running forward and facing the goal. That the is the north star. Also, it pushes all the opponents to sprint back and try to cover, instantly breaking the high press of the opponents. Do this several times in a game and they will just stop pressing with the same intensity, knowing that they have to sprint back because of these passes.

Principle 4: Attract, then exploit

The previous example showed how to break the high press. But what if there is no high press? Oh, there will be. It is nearly impossible for U10 players to stay so disciplined without the ball and keep a low block. Even if they stay in shape for some time, one by one they will get restless and stay off position. But it’s easier for the team in possession to wait a bit longer for this uncoordinated pressure to come. At that point, the objective is to find the free player, usually the one that was supposed to be marked by the undisciplined defender. The goal of playing out is to invite pressure to create space further up the field. You’re not just passing to pass, you’re manipulating the opposition.

Context change when Playing from the Back

I talked about principles and not patterns. Does that mean that these principles work if some assumptions have changed? How can we adapt our game patterns based on what we are seeing in the soccer game context? Let’s look at what changes and what doesn’t.

Playing from the Back against different formations

The build-out structure depends on the opponent’s pressing shape. If the opponents were pressing with two strikers in a 3-1-2 formation, then we might do something different. Our goal is not to pass to our defenders, but to progress the ball forward in possession. So our defenders can drag the strikers for a high press while we distribute to our wingers that are wide open. Maybe the goalkeeper can do a straight pass or use the central midfielder or the striker for it.

Trigger and Pattern Recognition when Playing from the Back

Trigger recognitions are the AI of youth sports. The experience trains the mental models to recognize what will happen next based on other games and the current game, too. Several years ago, I was coaching youth team. We were playing against another team that always distributed to their right center back who always tried to pass to their right winger. They kept repeating the same thing on each attack. After seeing that 3 or 4 times in a row, our team adjusted. Also, I just moved our right winger to help on the press where the ball always went. The opponent didn’t change for this. It was simply too easy to win every single ball with numerical advantage and predictability. I assume that the other team had only one practice where they repeated this pattern and didn’t have time to work on another solution. The issue is that the players did everything right as agreed before, but you can’t place a rigid pattern in the wrong context and expect to work.

Escape Routes when Playing from the Back

Escape routes are premeditated. The parent do yell boot it on the first sign of danger. The coach believes they are the reincarnation of Pep Guardiola and demands no booting and only tiki-taka. Who is wrong? Both! The player should make a decision, there is no game controller to be operated by the parent or the coach. The player should know the escape routes like a passenger on a plane. Even before they are in position to need them. The player should know that in addition to the perfect passes. There is also the progressive dribble forward or carrying the ball away from the opponent until the opportunity for a pass shows up. Trying to determine what is safer, riskier or risk-worthy at the moment of high pressure is very hard. But if this is discussed at practice, then we enable the players to keep composure when they are under pressure.

Errors when Playing from the Back

Final thought – playing from the back leads to mistakes, right? Absolutely. The main reason why we must coach playing from the back, is because we want to limit those mistakes now. Some players will be in situations where the team will just play long balls, or the opponents will keep low block the entire game. But we want to give them tools to handle the other situations. You don’t want to have a large gap in the toolbox where the opponents know that every time they press it leads to a goal scoring opportunity. These mistakes are more normal at the very young age, so it is much easier to handle them.

Remember – teach the principles and the patterns will come.

Have you ever wondered why overlaps and underlaps often look like useless motions to keep players fit? They rarely work the way you think they should, so it’s just players running around in some patterns. Let’s break down what the end objectives and options are, how you can have effective overlapping and underlapping runs, as well as what drills can be effective to coach this.

What is an Overlap?

In a nutshell, overlapping run is when a player further away from the goal runs forward on the outside of their teammate. Let’s use a winger and a fullback as the ball-carrier and the runner, respectively. Often times, the winger has the ball, which leaves two attacking options to the them – pass to the runner, the fullback, into space or cut on the inside.

If the overlap finishes with a pass, then the runner will try to outrun the defenders, or cross the ball, or cutback to a free teammate. Either way, the momentum should give the advantage over either their original defender or the defender of the original ball-carrier that helped.

If the overlap didn’t result in a pass, it might have meant that one or both of the defenders dropped deep to cover, leaving the ball-carrier with options to cut in or dribble. Either way, the overlap can still be considered a success if it created this opportunity for the player with the ball to have a clear shot on goal.

Does overlap work only when the winger has the ball? Absolutely not! Here’s another setup with the winger not having the ball, but instead the striker receiving the ball. The winger cuts in, while the fullback does an overlapping run. The defenders are all confused. Should they track the winger, who can shoot more centrally, or the fullback, who can exploit the space behind the last line? All this without either of them having the ball.

What is an Underlap?

What about underlapping run? You hear it much less, but it can be just as effective. This run uses the half space. If the winger has dragged their defender to the flank, and the striker is staying with the central defender in the middle, then the half space is empty. A run from attacking midfielder or even the fullback can really bring danger. The ball can be either with the winger or the striker. Either way, both of the defenders recognize the danger in case the underlapping runner receives the ball in a clear position to shoot at goal.

Both overlapping runs and underlapping runs are stretching the defenders and are splitting lines, as well as pushing the offside traps lower. On top of that, they create space by leaving areas, dragging defenders deeper and breaking the defensive formation. Check out the channel for detailed videos on these topics.

How do you Coach Overlaps and Underlaps?

Let’s structure the drills into three categories – unopposed, semi-opposed and situational games. While drills should strive to be as close to the game situation as possible, there is a benefit of putting more constraints for certain period of time. The first four drills are solid warmup drills, often repeating before a game for muscle activation or at practice, but also a way for players to get familiarized with overlap and underlap. I usually introduce them as finishing drills, because the final step is to strike the ball. Note that you shouldn’t do them in the same practice, or even the same week. Give them some time to get proficient in the overlapping, before they do the underlapping drill.

Here are the first two drills, essentially doing only 1-2 passes. You only need two players to do them, which means you can even do a variation of them when you do individual practices, where you as a coach are one of the players. Note that these will become boring very fast, so it’s just a stop gap until you move to the next two – one for overlap, one for underlap.

Unopposed Drills

The overlap drill starts with one midfielder passing to the striker, the other midfielder already sprinting towards the striker to receive the ball. Then the first passer does an overlapping run to receive the ball on the flank only to cross it to the striker. Then the midfielder stays back to be the striker and on it goes.

The underlap starts similarly. However, once the second midfielder receives the ball, the first passer cuts to make a run between the two teammates. They can then do a one-touch finish. With that structure in mind, you can keep the striker and second midfielder in place and only rotate them from time to time.

Coaching points for Overlaps and Underlaps

What are the coaching points in these two drills? The most important thing is to understand the timing. For example, in the second one, the first midfielder firstly jogs toward the striker, then it changes direction towards the other midfielder or even stops. Then there is some sort of communication, like eye contact. Then they change of pace and direction, straight sprinting into the space. It is important for runner to understand that this change of pace and direction is enough to escape their defender if done right.

Also, for the passer to understand that the timing and weight of the pass is crucial. A slow ball that the runner has to wait for is useless, same as a late ball that will leave them in offside. If the ball is too strong, then it would go out of bounds or the goalkeeper would intercept it. When running unopposed drills, you as a coach must set the standard of excellence. It is hard to set the fake urgency and give the feedback like you make up opponents, but that’s why you are the coach.

Semi-opposed Overlapping and Underlapping Drills

There is a gap between being familiar with the overlapping and the underlapping runs, but not being proficient in them. In that case, you want to have semi-opposed drills. I will suggest two of them. The simpler one is just a 3v2, with focus on the runs. If you do a similar setup as the unopposed drills, you will need to change very little. The player with the ball will either have a free option for a pass or free space for dribbling. Unlike the previous drills, the players in this drill will need to make decisions based on the defenders. When executed well, the striker can even receive on half turn and progress immediately to shoot. However, more often they will look to distribute. The only restriction I usually do is give 6 seconds to take a shot on goal. You don’t want endless passing and dribbling in a 3v2 situation. It should look like counter-attack.

We can’t always assume that there will be space, so now we will get into something that looks like a low-block situation. We will set a 5v5 situation, but we will limit the movement of the defenders. Only one defender can be outside of the penalty box at a time. So if a player pressed on one side, it needs to come back inside the box so that another player can press once the ball has moved. That way the overlapping and the underlapping runs are easier, same as the crosses.

Game-like drills for overlaps and underlaps

Finally, have a situational game, focusing on the final third. Of course, you can coach them when playing from the back, but it’s less common. You can have 6v5 situation, trying to attack in the final third. The attackers will need to stretch the field, making underlapping and overlapping runs. Also they will switch the ball quickly and utilize the third man. You can find a detailed video about the third man pattern on the channel. However, your focus here will be to use the concepts of overlapping and underlapping to displace the defenders. For example, a winger must stay wide to stretch their defender or get a free cross otherwise. If that doesn’t happen, then an underlapping run must come soon to stretch the field.

The Third-Man Principle is all about creating passing options within the playing zone by adding a facilitating passer and exploiting space in ways that break down defensive structures. Third Man Run is about shifting the playing area. Move the ball into a place where the dynamics are more favorable for your team as there is a running player.

What is the Third-Man Principle?

The Third Man Principle is a tactical concept that revolves around creating an advantage by using one player to indirectly support another in possession. To put it simply, it’s about finding ways to create a passing triangles. One player makes a run to support a teammate, and the third player in the triangle (the “third man”) provides an unexpected passing option.

Basic Example

Let’s walk through an example. Imagine a scenario where Player A has the ball and is looking to pass to Player B who is in a good position to reach the team objective. Normally, the pass to Player B would be blocked by a defender. But Player C—who’s positioned just a little off to the side or behind—makes a run to receive the ball from Player A.

Player A doesn’t pass directly to Player B; instead, they pass to Player C, who then plays the ball to Player B. The key here is that Player C is not under pressure. The defender is left scrambling, trying to cover multiple options. This quick, unpredictable movement can create space and break down defensive lines.

Playing from the back example

Let’s give few situations of how the third man run can be utilized. Firstly, we’ll start with playing from the back. A simple pass from your goalkeeper to the central defender. Then you want the next one to be from your defender to your fullback, as it is a bit higher up the field and also safer and less crowded on the side. However, the opposition winger knows that and is blocking that pass and starting to put pressure on the defender. Instead, the central midfielder comes into the empty space and just needs to do a one touch pass to the fullback. That’s it. This is the bread and butter of playing from the back.

Final third example

Let’s look at another example, where the passing lane is not blocked, but the pass is impossible because the defender is pressing high. We want our winger to receive the ball from our fullback, but they cannot in this setting. Instead, we utilize the creative midfielder that does something similar as before, but in another area of the field. In this case, the moment the ball is passed to them, the defender is often stunned and trying to see where the ball is going or even starts to move towards the central area. The winger then starts to make a run and the defender is at least one step behind, often way off. The ball goes into space and the problem is solved way more elegantly than beating the defender 1v1.

What is the Third-Man Run?

The third man run is when two teammates look to be playing a one-two, but another teammate is making a run to receive the ball in a more dangerous area. In a very generic example, say we have a 2v2 situation in the central area. Then a player that makes a run in the wide area means that they have already won against their opponent and is just missing the ball. So we move the ball to them. Why would is it easier for them to beat their opponent? Because the human psychology makes their defender focus on the playing area. They either come and help the teammates to make a 2v3 situation, or they simply relax for a moment thinking that the danger is not there. Either way, it is a favorable situation for our third man. To get the timing it might be a one-touch pass or a delayed pass with La Pausa to invite the pressure and create space. We will run through three examples to illustrate this at different areas of the field.

Examples

If we start from the fullback and pass to the centerback. Then the winger keeps the pressing and cuts the passing lane back to the fullback. That press by the winger changes the playing area and takes our fullback out of it. Then the centerback passes to the midfielde. Now the midfielder passes into the fullback that made a run forward in the meantime. This pass made the playing area move there, with the fullback already on the run forward.

Here is another example of the third man run, way more devastating for the opponents. The focus is all in the middle with the striker looking for help from the midfielder to do 1-2 passing. The midfielder can even yell “1-2”, but then once it receives the ball, they find the runner on the wing. All eyes were in the central area. Unless the fullback was so diligent to track the runner on time, this can be an easy goal. The coordination between the winger and the creative midfielder falls apart.

Here is one more special case, where the striker wants to use the midfielder for a combination. However, after the pass and the run, the striker doesn’t get the ball and is in offside situation. Then the whole world kind of freezes. The defenders are thinking that they have solved the threat by holding the offside line. However, the pass to the third man in the wider area unfreezes the attack and the striker is back in action as the second pass can go to them.

What do you need to make good Third-Man?

The crucial elements of both the third man principle and the third man run are the off-the-ball movement, the vision and the exploiting of the space.

Off-the-ball movement

…is crucial. In the third man principle, the third man coming in as a facilitator needs to find the perfect timing when they will be available to receive and pass the ball. If they are too early, the opponent will adjust and potentially intercept the ball or the pass will not longer be available. If they are too late, then the teammate with the ball will be under too much pressure. Similarly, for the third man run, a well timed run is essential, so that we can create a dynamic advantage. Too early and the third man gets covered or ends up in offside. Too late and the ball is lost or moved somewhere else on the field.

Vision

… is the other key characteristic of these patterns. Vision is not about players that can see other players, but it is to see several steps ahead, like in chess. In the third man principle, the player needs to see the objective of the two initial players and their obstacle. Then they need to see how getting into the empty space can change the perspective. Finally, how the steps will evolve from then on. Similarly, the third man run is exactly that – a run. The vision of the passer and the runner is seconds ahead, where they need to see what will happen if they coordinate their movements together. The vision is built over time and experience, by playing soccer for years and years and seeing what is possible and how to make it happen. Naturally some players are more talented in seeing this, but it is also a trained skill.

Exploiting space

…is the secret to both the third man principle and third man run. We talked about changing the playing area by moving the ball. But in order for that to happen, the players off the ball need to create a favorable situation before the ball gets there. Exploiting the space is exactly that. For example, leaving the space empty is important, so that the space can be exploited at the right time. This can be the space for passing or for the run behind. Either way, understanding the space is vital.

Can you see the Third-Man in Pro Games?

One of the most iconic uses of the Third Man Principle is in the way Barcelona used it during their tiki-taka era, especially under Pep Guardiola. The movement of players like Xavi and Iniesta was a textbook example of the Third Man Principle. They were constantly working off each other’s passes and positioning, pulling defenders out of position, and creating extra options for the ball carrier. It would often look like they were passing to each other with no purpose. However, at one point you will see the wingers, such as Villa, Pedro or Henry, or even the wingbacks, like Alves and Alba, making a run on the wing and before you know it the third man run creates a perfect opportunity to score.

That is a textbook example of using both the third man principle and the third man run. However, I challenge you to watch a game. Whenever you see players playing from the back, you will see the third man principle. Also, you will see runs that hard-working players make even when they don’t get the ball. The expectation for them is that they will get the ball once every 5 to 10 runs. However, all they need is one perfect play in the final third and the goal scoring opportunity is there.

How to coach?

There is a reason we are still talking about the Xavi and Iniesta style of play, even though we haven’t seen them play in Barcelona for the last decade. It is not normal to find players that are technically dominant, have world class positional awareness and possess exceptional vision.

However, you do need to coach these concepts, as both Xavi and Iniesta have been coached at the famous Barcelona academy called La Masia. At the very young age, you should coach playing from the back and that might be the first time they will see the usage of the third man facilitator player. These will become recognizable patterns for the players, but it will take years of repetition and variations to become second nature.

You will need to have overloading drills, where the attackers will outnumber the defenders. This is because the natural moves for players might be to dribble or to pass back. Instead they can make overlapping runs or even underlapping runs that will naturally create the third man situation. If you are trying to change that, then the pressure has to be decreased a bit. Not completely, but sufficiently enough to give some time and direction to the players to find these opportunities. To counter this numerical overload, you can restrict the attackers not to be able to pass back to the same player.

Summary

To sum it up, the Third Man Principle and the Third Man Run are game-changing tactics that relies on intelligent off-the-ball movement, quick decision-making, and exploiting space. Whether you’re a player or coach, understanding and implementing this principle can improve the fluidity of your team’s attacking play and help break down defensive lines.

Next time you watch a game, pay close attention to how teams use the Third Man Principle and the Third Man Run to create space and opportunities. It’s a subtle, yet incredibly powerful aspect of modern soccer tactics.