Decision Making drill
Three v Two Exit
Use an overload under pressure with no fixed pattern to fall back on.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Players
- 5 to 10 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- Ball, cones
- Space
- 15m x 15m box
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
A marked box with three attackers inside and two defenders starting 10m back. One ball.
How to run it
- The three attackers must exit the box without any of them being touched, using legal passes only, while the defenders move freely inside.
- Everyone carries the ball in two hands, receivers show target hands and move forward at pace, and you weight each pass to the distance rather than firing it.
- Do 6-8 reps and rotate the defenders every rep because it is the hardest job.
- Progress by adding a third defender to make it three against three, shrinking the box, or adding a time limit - each of those forces earlier decisions.
Coaching cues
- Two hands, target hands, move forward at pace
- Weight the pass to the distance
- Rotate defenders - it's the hardest role
Common mistakes
- Drifting laterally until you run out of space
- The last player taking the ball standing still with nowhere to go
Session plans that use this drill
Related drills
- Them Us Ball ScanningBuild the habit of scanning continuously, which is what separates good decision-makers.
- GladiatorReact to a sudden cue and win a one-on-one from a standing start.
- 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.