Possession Under Pressure - Left Sideline

EXPLANATION:

• O1 and X1 set up facing the coach (see Diagram 1). Coach initiates play by throwing/rolling the ball toward the sidline behind O.
• O recovers to retrieve ball, and X moves forward to pressure.
• O maintains possession, and tries to either carry the ball out under control through the cones, OR win a foul against X. 

VARIATIONS:

• Add an outlet receiver O2 (see diagram 2) so that O1 can make a possession pass as well as dribbling the ball out.
• Add a second opponent X2 pressuring the play (see diagram 3)
• If X wins the ball, there can be an outlet to another forward in front of goal. 

COACHING POINTS:

• In this area of the field, safety (possession) is the primary focus. So O should be focused on maintaining strong possession of the ball. If the pressuring forward (X) is close, O should make sure he is protecting ball by keeping his stick on the ball as he moves it. O can also protect his position defensively by keeping the ball on the outside of his body (on reverse stick side). See Diagram 3,  the 2 triangles representing foot position. In this position, even if the opponent O gets a touch on the ball, X is in position in line to goal to protect defensively.
• If pressuring forward X is slow to apply pressure, O should get feet around the ball early and face forward so she can make decisions and look for the pass from a forehand position if available.
• As O controls and dribbles the ball, he should be watching X’s position and movements. O tries to get X to overcommit and then pulls the ball onto X’s foot - or to commit with the flat stick and O lifts ball over into space. 

EVALUATION:

• Decision-making in this situation is critical - a loss of possession can lead directly to a counter-attack goalscoring opportunity. The defender should have a good  rate of success here. If it is too difficult for them with the pressuring forward starting close, pull X further back to start, giving O more time to control the ball and look forward.
• Reverse stick dribbling and passing skills are critical here. If necessary, repetition of reverse stick skills on the left sideline (outside ball position) can be done prior to putting an active defender in. 

PROGRESSION:

• LTT: Same set-up: practice footwork and dribbling/passing skills on left side without active pressure first.
• TTC & TTW: 3-D skills: lifting the ball on the left side of the body is an effective way to eliminate or win a foul in a low risk manner. Ball can be pulled back, then lifted forward with the option of continuing to go forward over a flat stick, or pulled back into the opponents foot to win a foul.