Possession
Overload Four Zone Keep Ball
Keep possession while moving the ball between zones
Possession
Team Shape
Passing
Premium
Overload Four Zone Keep Ball is a 20-minute possession drill for 8-18 players, suitable for Under 10 to Adults at intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryPossession
Team Shape
Passing
Skill Practice
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Overload
Duration
20 min
Players
8-18
Pitch size
36 x 32 yards
Ability levels
Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Overload Four Zone Keep Ball — Four-corner square · 36 x 32 yards
Step 1 of 5The team in possession must complete three passes before changing zone.
- 1. The team in possession must complete three passes before changing zone.
- 2. A zone change scores one point.
- 3. Defenders press with limited numbers per zone.
- 4. The spare player joins whichever side has the ball, so the attack always works with a plus-one.
- 5. A goal or completed end action counts double if the spare player touched the ball in the build-up.
- Cones mark the area
- Dashed lines = zones / thirds
- Ball
- Cones mark each station in the shape
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Keep possession while moving the ball between zones
- -Create numerical advantages in each zone
- -Coach when to keep and when to progress
Setup
- 1A square split into four equal zones in a 36 x 32 yards area.
- 2Split the group so the attacking side always has one spare player, and park the spare bibs on the halfway cone.
- 3Balls with the coach, two sets of bibs.
Coaching instructions
- 1The team in possession must complete three passes before changing zone.
- 2A zone change scores one point.
- 3Defenders press with limited numbers per zone.
- 4The spare player joins whichever side has the ball, so the attack always works with a plus-one.
- 5A goal or completed end action counts double if the spare player touched the ball in the build-up.
Coaching points
- -Move the ball to move the defence
- -Occupy all four zones
- -Change zone when the press arrives
- -Find the free player quickly before the defence shuffles across
Common mistakes
- -Everybody in the ball zone
- -Forcing the zone change too early
- -Spare player standing still instead of offering an angle
Where this drill fits
- More football possession drills
- More football team shape drills
- More football passing drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme