Reacting to step/drop to intercept the ball and play forward

Description

In this session we are focusing on stepping/dropping to intercept the ball and transition to play forward. The drill begins with the coach passing the ball into the player who sets back first time. This continues until the coach says ‘go’. The player then reacts to step up and touch the ball in the coaches hands before dropping back to head a ball throw in the air. As soon as the player heads the ball, they look to accelerate around the cone/pole to replicate stepping up the pitch. The focus then turns to a recover run as the player moves around the cone, the coach looks to roll the ball towards the goal for the player to recover and intercept the ball. The player looks to pass into the coach who sets the ball either side for the player to pass forward through a gate/goal. The player should remain focused at all times and remain light on their feet to react quickly. Each set should consist of 4 - 6 reps and should be completed at least three times.