Attack a Deep Block, Fill the Box
A big attacking side against a deep low block, where the ball goes wide and the goals come from who arrived.
A coach who watches soccer on television has seen this a thousand times and has never been told the numbers. The page says them: at least three in the box, and exactly where.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
30 min in the practice phase · Teams of eleven and seven — the largest-roster session in the batch
- Ages 11–13
- Teams of eleven and seven — the largest-roster session in the batch
- 30 min in the practice phase
- Cones, two goals, keepers, pinnies, balls
Grab Cones, two goals, pinnies, balls.
Build Mark a 48-by-80-yard field with a goal and keeper at each end.
Place The attacking side in a 1-4-3-3; the defending side in a 1-4-2 sitting deep around their own box.
A long field, one team camped around its own penalty area, the other spread wide across the top of it.
- 1
Organize the players
Mark the field, set both shapes, keepers in. Ball starts with the attacking side.
“They're sitting deep. You're breaking them down. If you lose it they're gone.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Before playing, name the three places: near post, far post, in front of goal. Assign them for the first few crosses so the picture exists before it has to be improvised.
“When it goes wide, I want three of you in there. Near post, far post, middle.”
- 3
Play
Run continuously. Ask the page's own questions at a break: how many should get in the box, and where do they go?
“Attack up the wings and play crosses. Keep it moving, keep changing the rhythm.”
Look for The near-post run — the one nobody makes without being asked, and the one that pulls a defender out.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Remind the attackers that losing it means a break the other way, so somebody stays.
“Lose it? Try to win it back right away.”
Too hard? 10 v 6, and let the defenders score by finding a target player instead of countering the length of the field. Too easy? 10 v 8 — a fuller block.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
A deep block concedes wide areas and defends the box. Crossing into an empty box teaches nothing; crossing into three runs teaches everything, and the difference is arranged rather than coached.
What they learn
A cross is only as good as the runs it finds. Three in the box, every time.
What's next
The other side of it — being the team defending the box.
Where does this come from?
US Soccer and Massachusetts Youth Soccer — their published nine-a-side session plans for U13 and up.
A governing body published this — the same organization that writes the rules your league plays by.