Transition
Counter Turnover Game
React quickly to winning and losing the ball
Transition
Pressing
Attacking
Counter Turnover Game is a 22-minute transition drill for 8-18 players, suitable for Under 10 to Adults at intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs, mini goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryTransition
Pressing
Attacking
Small-Sided Game
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Counter Attack
Duration
22 min
Players
8-18
Pitch size
42 x 34 yards
Ability levels
Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Counter Turnover Game — 4v4 small-sided game · 42 x 34 yards
Step 1 of 5Play a normal game with the coach serving new balls at random.
- 1. Play a normal game with the coach serving new balls at random.
- 2. Every turnover starts a five-second attacking window.
- 3. Goals in the window count double.
- 4. The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
- 5. Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
- Cones mark the area
- Mini goals at each end
- Ball
- Blue v dark — score in the opposite goal
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -React quickly to winning and losing the ball
- -Attack fast in the seconds after a turnover
- -Get organised fast when possession is lost
Setup
- 1A pitch with mini goals at both ends and a coach ball supply on the side in a 42 x 34 yards area.
- 2Place two mini goals on the halfway line for the counter-attacking side to aim at.
- 3Balls with the coach, two sets of bibs.
Coaching instructions
- 1Play a normal game with the coach serving new balls at random.
- 2Every turnover starts a five-second attacking window.
- 3Goals in the window count double.
- 4The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
- 5Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.
Coaching points
- -First thought forward after winning it
- -Nearest player presses after losing it
- -Recognise when the counter is off
- -Counter in a straight line — the first pass forward beats the recovery run
Common mistakes
- -Slow reaction to the turnover
- -Everybody attacking with no cover
- -Dribbling into traffic when the counter is on
Where this drill fits
- More football transition drills
- More football pressing drills
- More football attacking drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme