Overload Possession Conditioning

Objective

• -Build endurance inside a football practice
• -Keep decision quality high under fatigue
• -Avoid running without a ball

Setup

1. 1A large possession area with two teams and neutral players in a 40 x 34 yards area.
2. 2Split the group so the attacking side always has one spare player, and park the spare bibs on the halfway cone.
3. 3Balls with the coach, two sets of bibs.

How to play

1. 1Play possession in four-minute blocks with 90 seconds rest.
2. 2The team out of possession must press for the full block.
3. 3Rotate the neutrals so nobody rests inside the block.
4. 4The spare player joins whichever side has the ball, so the attack always works with a plus-one.
5. 5A goal or completed end action counts double if the spare player touched the ball in the build-up.

Progressions

• +Remove the overload for the last two rounds
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Give the attack two spare players
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Rotate the spare player every 90 seconds
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Walking in possession
• -Individual pressing that wastes energy
• -Spare player standing still instead of offering an angle