3v3 Plus 3
Two teams of three keep the ball away from a third — the team whose mistake loses it becomes the new defense.
Keeping possession under pressure makes players look up and stay aware of the players around them.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
15 min tonight · Three teams of 3
- Ages 9+
- Three teams of 3
- 15 min as the drill is written
- Cones, pinnies in 3 colors, balls
Grab Cones, balls, and pinnies in three colors — one color per team of three.
Build Build a 20-by-20-yard grid.
Place All three teams inside the grid. Pick one team to defend first; the ball starts with the other two.
- 1
Organize the players
Make three teams of three, each in its own color, all inside the grid. Name the first defending team.
“Three teams, three colors. Yellow hunts first — red and white, keep it away.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the switch — when the defenders win the ball, the team whose mistake lost it becomes the new defense. A ball out of the grid counts as a loss by the team that played it.
“Keep it away together. Your team loses it, your team defends.”
- 3
Play
Let it run. When the ball turns over, call whose mistake it was so the switch is instant.
“Pass to feet — and keep your head up!”
Look for Angles of support — players off the ball moving so the passer always has an open option.
- 4
Switch and repeat
The switch is the game — keep naming the new defense and restarting fast.
“Red lost it — red defends! Play on.”
If sorting out whose mistake it was keeps stalling the game, switch to a timed rotation — a new defending team every two to three minutes.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
Six against three makes keeping the ball possible while still demanding movement and real angles of support — and because the mistake decides who defends next, every first touch and every pass matters to somebody.
What they learn
First touch, passes to feet, runs and angles of support, and facing the field.
What's next
5 Pass Possession Game — possession again, now with a way to score and a winner.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.