Free kick routine with a fake argument

Description

Two players stay over the ball and begin to act out a disagreement over who will shoot. Meanwhile, a third walks calmly towards his own position off to the side, without looking towards the ball even once. In the middle of the argument, the ball rolls into his path, and the shot is taken with the first touch from a new angle that the wall cannot turn to in time. The pattern lives or dies with the walker: as soon as he glances at the ball or breaks into a run too early, the defending reads the pattern. The pass is played only when the walker is one step away from the shooting position.

Quality Factors

Directing attention and the third man: the defending watches the argument, the walker arrives from the blind side, and the shot comes from an angle the wall cannot reach in time.

Key Questions

• How does the player making the pass know the right moment if he cannot look at the walker too obviously?
• Why is it worth taking the shot with the first touch, even if a control would feel safer?
• What gives the pattern away to the opponent first, and how can it be disguised?
• When is it better not to use the same pattern?

Training Info

• 6+ players
• Age Group: U10+