Set up a large playing square. Ask the players to pair up.
In each pair, one player leads and the other follows (the “shadow”). The lead player has to lose their shadow.
After several seconds call “STOP” and see who has managed to lose their shadow. Then swap the pairs around.
Set Up
Area: 20m x 20m or small gym/games hall.
Equipment: None
Players: Whole class or squad.
Scoring
When you call “STOP” each pair counts the number of steps they are apart. The winners are the nearest shadow and furthest lead player from their partners.
What to Call Out
“Look for space and move into it”
“Take short steps when changing direction”
“Keep your head up to see what’s going on”
“Use fast feet to move away from your shadow”
Coaching Tips
Vary the times before calling “STOP” to create variation and increase the work rate.
Players pair up, the shadow following the lead player.
The lead player tries to lose the shadow.
Regularly shout “STOP” to see which players have lost their shadow.
“The defender keeps themselves light on their feet, head up and marking a potential break, coming forward to close down an attacker when they move forward” MORE
Players must win the race to the best space when attacking. In defence, players must work early, scan early and look to close space to force errors.
Attackers seek space, defenders take it away. This is also true over the ball.
Run this game over a series of sessions to gain the most benefit as the players develop their understanding of the tactical implications. MORE
Here’s a series of super-quick activities to set up and use to mix up your training to keep all your players occupied. Ideal to hand out to your co-coaches and aimed at a range of core skills in game-like contexts.
Here. is a series of what I’ve called Quick Coach. They are mini-activities aimed at four to six players. The aim is to provide you with a bank of breakout exercises you can run during your session. They should only last around five minutes, but the key is that they are very quick to set up and can be run by any coach in your group. They can even be run by one of the players if appropriate. MORE
