Equipment Needed
- One ball
- Cones to mark start and goal-side target
Mark the recovery target
Cones make it easy to mark a consistent start point and goal-side recovery target.
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- Set up a starting cone and a goal-side recovery target cone about 20 yards apart.
- A player starts facing away from their own goal, as if caught upfield.
Instructions
- On the coach's signal (simulating a turnover), the player sprints to get goal-side of the recovery target cone.
- A teammate with the ball tries to advance toward goal at the same time, racing the recovering defender.
- The defender's job is to get goal-side and slow the attack down, not necessarily win the ball.
- Rotate through all players so everyone practices the recovery sprint.
Coaching Points
- Sprint on the whistle - hesitation is what turns a recoverable situation into a goal against.
- Take the most direct angle to get goal-side, not just the fastest sprint to the ball.
- Once goal-side, slow down and get into a controlled defensive stance rather than sprinting past the play.
Variation
Start the defender facing completely the wrong way to simulate a real transition moment.