Combination Build-Up Shape

Objectives

• -Build from the keeper through the thirds
• -Create angles that beat the first line of press
• -Recognise when to go long instead

How to set it up

1. 1Mark out the working area at 48 x 40 yards. Put a cone on each corner so the boundary is obvious to the players.
2. 2A defensive third with a goal, a back line and midfield support in a 48 x 40 yards area.
3. 3Add a neutral bounce player on each side line inside a marked yard-wide channel.
4. 4Balls in the goal, two sets of bibs, target gates on halfway.
5. 5Place the goals before you start and check the run-off behind them is clear and safe.
6. 6Kit for this practice: Balls, Cones, Bibs, Full Goals. Keep a supply of spare balls beside the coach so a lost ball never stops the practice.
7. 7Split 8-18 players into two or three even groups. Run two stations side by side if you have the space, so lines never grow beyond four players.
8. 8Set the area up before the players arrive, then walk them through the shape once at a jog before the first live repetition.

How to run it, step by step

1. 1Get the players into position and walk the first repetition through slowly so everybody knows where they start and where they go.
2. 2The keeper starts every rep and the back line splits wide.
3. 3The team plays through the press and dribbles through a halfway gate to score.
4. 4If the press wins it, they attack the goal immediately.
5. 5The first pass must go into the bounce player before the practice opens up.
6. 6A sequence only scores when three different players have touched the ball.
7. 7After their action each player follows their pass and joins the back of the next line, so everybody rotates through every position in the practice.
8. 8Every repetition finishes with a strike at goal. As soon as the ball leaves the striker's foot the next player starts, so the practice keeps flowing.
9. 9Freeze the practice once or twice per round, make one coaching point to the whole group, then restart immediately.

What each player does

Working player

Takes the repetition: receives, executes the playing out from the back action and finishes the sequence at match pace.

Server

Delivers a consistent, firm ball on the coach's call, then collects a spare ball ready for the next repetition.

Goalkeeper

Sets before every strike, works the save, then distributes to restart the next attack rather than kicking the ball away.

Waiting players

Stand behind the start cone with a ball ready, watch the repetition in front of them and step in the moment it finishes.

Coach

Stands where the whole picture is visible, serves or calls the start, and makes one clear point per freeze.

Timings and organisation

• -Run 5 rounds of roughly 4 minutes inside the 20 minute slot.
• -Give 45-60 seconds of rest between rounds so the quality of the work stays high, and use that gap for your coaching point.
• -Rotate roles at the end of every round so each player works, serves and defends across the practice.
• -If the practice is too easy, move to a progression rather than adding more repetitions. If players are struggling, drop to a regression for one round and then build back up.

Common mistakes

• -Playing out for the sake of it
• -Full backs too narrow and deep
• -Two players combining over and over while the third stands still
• -Standing still and watching instead of moving into the next position