Equipment Needed
- Balls
- Cones
- Small goal
Give the overlap a target
A small portable goal gives the overlapping run somewhere to actually finish the sequence.
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- A wide player starts with the ball; a fullback lines up behind them ready to overlap.
- A defender pressures the wide player from in front.
Instructions
- The wide player holds the ball, drawing the defender's attention while the fullback begins the overlapping run from behind.
- The run has to go OUTSIDE the wide player, offering an option beyond the defender's cover shadow.
- The wide player times a pass into the overlapping run's path just before the defender can react.
- The overlapping player takes a touch and crosses or finishes toward the small goal.
Coaching Points
- The run should start the moment the ball carrier is ready to receive pressure, not before — timing is everything here.
- "Overlap" means going around the outside; cutting inside is a different run with a different purpose.
- The pass into the run should be weighted to arrive in stride, not stopping the runner's momentum.
- Communicate the run out loud ("overlap!") until the timing becomes automatic without a call.
Variation
Add a second defender to track the overlapping run, or practice the underlapping (inside) run as a counter option.