Decision Making drill
Gladiator
React to a sudden cue and win a one-on-one from a standing start.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Players
- 4 to 10 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- Ball, hit shield, cones
- Space
- 15m x 10m
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
A 15m x 10m area with up to ten players in numbered pairs in two facing lines, a ball at one end and a hit shield at the other, ends 10-15m apart.
How to run it
- A number is called and that pair races - the attacker to the ball, the defender to the shield - then it is a live one-on-one to score.
- Because the call is random you cannot pre-plan anything, which is the point: this trains evasion under chaos and reaction to an auditory cue at the same time.
- Score first and take contact last.
- Do 10-12 calls, then progress by calling two numbers for a two-on-two, or by adding a second shield.
- Keep it as an evasion contest rather than letting it become a collision drill.
Coaching cues
- Score first, contact last
- Attack the defender before they're set
- React to the number, don't anticipate it
Common mistakes
- Turning it into a collision drill instead of an evasion contest
- Anticipating your number and stealing a start, which removes the reaction element
Related drills
- Seven v Four ContinuousMake attacking decisions while genuinely fatigued, which is when they actually fail.
- Two v OneCommit a defender and release at exactly the right moment - the foundational attacking decision.
- Opposed Two v OneMake the two-on-one decision in a confined grid where the defender can genuinely win.
- Chain Grid SupportLink continuous decisions across multiple contacts rather than one isolated rep.
- Three v Two ExitUse an overload under pressure with no fixed pattern to fall back on.
- Them Us Ball ScanningBuild the habit of scanning continuously, which is what separates good decision-makers.