4v4+2 Endzone Keep-Away
Two teams of four fight to keep the ball in a small grid, with a teammate in each endzone and two neutral helpers on the sides.
Keeping the ball under pressure is built on scanning and quick decisions, and the endzone players teach awareness of the support waiting behind the defense.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Two teams of 6, plus 2 neutrals
- Ages 10+
- Two teams of 6, plus 2 neutrals
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, pinnies, balls
Grab Cones, pinnies, and a supply of balls — keep the balls near you to restart play quickly.
Build Build a 12-by-20-yard grid, then mark a 3-by-12-yard endzone across each end.
Place Four players per team in the middle, one player from each team in each endzone, and the two neutrals outside the long sides. One team starts with the ball.
- 1
Organize the players
Make two teams of six and pick two neutrals. Four from each team go in the middle, one from each team in each endzone, neutrals outside the long sides.
“Four in the middle, one of you in each endzone. Neutrals — you play for whoever has the ball.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk one sequence — pass to your endzone player, they dribble out to join, and the passer takes their place. Note the exception — off a neutral's pass, no switch, the ball comes back out.
“Find your endzone player. When they dribble out, whoever passed it takes their spot.”
- 3
Play
Start as simple keep-away with no scoring until the pattern flows, then add points — first for a run of passes, then for reaching your endzone player and keeping the ball.
“Quick passes! One touch, two touches — don't hold it.”
Look for Endzone players on the move — sliding side to side to open a passing angle instead of standing still.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Raise the target each round, up to the final progression — reach one endzone, keep the ball, then find the opposite one. The dribble-out switch keeps the endzone jobs rotating on its own.
“New round — reach one endzone, keep it, then find the other!”
If points won't come, drop the number of passes it takes to earn one until they're scoring, then raise it back.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
The neutrals create an overload that mirrors real game situations, and the endzones pull players' eyes past the pressure in front of them to the support behind it. The progression from plain keep-away to endzone-to-endzone scoring adds complexity only as fast as the players earn it.
What they learn
Keeping possession under pressure — scanning before receiving, a first touch into space, and constant movement to create passing lanes.
What's next
4v4 in Thirds — the same possession habits, now with every player owning a lane.
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.