Tackling

Transition Side-On Duel

Win the ball while running alongside an attacker

Tackling

Defending

Speed & Agility

Transition Side-On Duel is a 16-minute tackling drill for 4-16 players, suitable for Under 9 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, mini goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.

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Tackling

Defending

Speed & Agility

Skill Practice

Beginner

Intermediate

Advanced

Full Squad

Youth Friendly

Adult Suitable

Goals Needed

Transition

Duration

16 min

Players

4-16

Pitch size

26 x 16 yards

Ability levels

Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced

Pitch diagram

Transition Side-On Duel — 1v1 channel — beat your player and cross the line · 26 x 16 yards

Step 1 of 5Attacker and defender start side by side and race for a served ball.

1. Attacker and defender start side by side and race for a served ball.
2. The defender must get a shoulder in front and win possession legally.
3. Roles swap on every rep.
4. Coach serves a loose ball into the middle and both teams react to win it.
5. On every turnover the winning team has six seconds to attack the opposite target.

Cones mark the area
Dashed lines = scoring lines
Ball
Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
Blue = attacker, dark = defender, queues outside the channel
C = coach / server
Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble

Objectives

-Win the ball while running alongside an attacker
-Use the body legally to gain the inside line
-Choose the moment to commit

Setup

1A narrow channel with a mini goal at the far end in a 26 x 16 yards area.
2Mark a second target area at the opposite end so the practice can flip direction instantly.
3Balls at the start line, bibs for defenders.

Coaching instructions

1Attacker and defender start side by side and race for a served ball.
2The defender must get a shoulder in front and win possession legally.
3Roles swap on every rep.
4Coach serves a loose ball into the middle and both teams react to win it.
5On every turnover the winning team has six seconds to attack the opposite target.