By Dr. Davide Sganzerla
Some examples of SMALL SIDE GAMES:
- 3vs3 + 1GK: Three against three with a single door in a 32x32m field.
Whoever defends the ball once he has recovered must leave the area and attack the same door he previously defended, the other team from attackers becomes defenders. A variation to make the exercise even more intense is to insert a shuttle 10m + 10m each time the ball is released. This exercise can also be offered in the form of 4vs4 and 5vs5, obviously increasing the playing area.
- 3vs3 + 2GK: 3vs3 game with two doors in a 32x32m field.
This exercise can also be offered in the form of 4vs4 and 5vs5, obviously increasing the playing area. Some variations can be the number of touches available to each player, the possibility of using any banks with players positioned outside the field and the validity of the goal if all the players making up the team are in the opposing half of the field at the moment of the goal.
- 3vs3 with goal: in a field 20x25 make a possession three against three with the aim of carrying the ball beyond the goal. This exercise can also be offered in the form of 4vs4, 5vs5, 6vs6 and 7vs7, obviously increasing the playing area. Some variations can be the number of touches available to each player, the possibility of using any banks with players positioned outside the field and the validity of the goal if all the players making up the team are in the opposing half of the field at the moment of the goal.
- 3vs3 with 1 vertex: in a 20x25 field make a possession three against three with the goal of passing the low-level ball to the top positioned beyond the goal. This exercise can also be offered in the form of 4vs4 and 5vs5, obviously increasing the playing area. Some variations may be the number of touches available to each player, the possibility of using any banks with players positioned outside the field and the validity of the point if the vertex passes the ball back to the first-time partner.
- 5vs5 with 2 vertices: in a 30x40m field, make a five against five ball possession with the goal of passing the ball low to one and then the other vertex positioned beyond the goal without the opposing team intercepting the ball. Some variations may be the number of touches available to each player, the possibility of using any banks with players positioned outside the field.
- 6vs5 + 1GK: in a half-court the 6 players attack and have to score while the 5 defend the goal and if they recover the ball they must reach the half-way line. This exercise can also be proposed in the form of 5vs4, 4vs3, 3vs2 obviously decreasing the size of the field.
- 5vs5 possession of the ball: in a 40x40 field make a possession where a team must make 10 consecutive passes without making the opposing team intercept it. Some variations may be the number of touches available to each player, the number of passes a team must make. This exercise can also be offered in the form of 3vs3, 4vs4, 6vs6 and 7vs7 obviously decreasing or increasing the playing area.
- 4vs4 with 2 Jokers: possession of the ball in a 20x30m field where the ball player can pass it to the 2 jokers, thus creating a continuous 6vs4. This exercise can also be proposed in the form of 3vs3 and 5vs5 obviously modifying the playing area. Some variations can be the number of Jokers, the number of touches available to each player and the possibility of using any banks with players positioned outside the field.
- 10vs5: in a 30x40m field, a 10-player team ball is held, while the 5-player team must intercept the ball and make a pass to score. By changing the size of the field you can also propose 8vs4, 6vs3 and 4vs2. Another variation may be the number of touches available to each player.
- 5vs5vs5 + 2GK: 3-team game in one half of the field, one team attacks on one goal, the other defends and if it retrieves the ball it attacks the other goal defended by the third team. By changing the size of the field you can also propose 3vs3vs3, 4vs4vs4, 6vs6vs6 and 7vs7vs7. Some variations may be the number of touches available to each player and the validity of the goal if all the players making up the team are in the opposing half of the field at the time of the goal.
These are just some simple examples of Small Side Games but with a little imagination they can be created of various types, the important thing is that they have a technical tactical goal and a logical sense for the 11vs11. In addition to this it is very important to define well the duration of the exercise and recovery, so as to achieve the physical goal required.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
- ALESSANDRO MARIANI - SPECIAL PREPARATION: METHOD, EXERCISES, LOADS. Calzetti Mariucci Editori - 2008.
- ERMANNO RAMPININI - THE THEME PARTY AS A MEANS OF TRAINING IN SOCCER - SCIENCE AND SPORT N ° 12 - EDITOR SPORT ITALIA 2011.
