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.

Ages 9+Three teams of 315 minCones, pinnies in 3 colors, balls

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

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.

Show me the setup picture

A 20-by-20 grid holding three teams of three in three colors — two teams in possession, one defending.

One thing to remember: First touch, passes to feet, runs and angles of support, and facing the field.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

Two teams keep the ball together while the third hunts it — make the mistake that loses it, and your team defends next.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Make three teams of three, each in its own color, all inside the grid. Name the first defending team.
Coach says
Three teams, three colors. Yellow hunts first — red and white, keep it away.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
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.
Coach says
Keep it away together. Your team loses it, your team defends.
3Play▾
Coach does
Let it run. When the ball turns over, call whose mistake it was so the switch is instant.
Coach says
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.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
The switch is the game — keep naming the new defense and restarting fast.
Coach says
Red lost it — red defends! Play on.

If it's not working

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.

Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.

Why are we doing this?

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 are they learning?

First touch, passes to feet, runs and angles of support, and facing the field.

How can I change it?

Easier: Make the grid bigger.

Harder: Add a touch limit per player.

Next: 5 Pass Possession Game — possession again, now with a way to score and a winner.