Decision Making drill
Two v One
Commit a defender and release at exactly the right moment - the foundational attacking decision.
- Time
- 15 minutes
- Players
- 3 to 10 players
- Intensity
- High
- Equipment
- Ball, cones
- Space
- Half field
- Positions
- All positions
Setup
Half a field with defenders spaced about 10m apart up the field, and an attacking pair working through them in sequence. One ball.
How to run it
- The ball carrier runs at speed to commit the first defender: if no defender comes, keep running and take the space, and if the defender commits, pass so your partner scores, then continue to the next defender and repeat.
- Run at the opposite shoulder of the defender from where the pass is going, which is what genuinely fixes them.
- Do 4-6 runs per pair then rotate.
- Progress by allowing the defender to attack either attacker, so the decision is no longer scripted.
Coaching cues
- Run at the opposite shoulder from where the pass is going
- Commit them before you release
- If nobody comes, keep the ball and run
Common mistakes
- Passing before the defender has actually committed, so nobody is beaten and the extra man is wasted
- Drifting laterally instead of straightening, which brings the covering space with you
Related drills
- 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.
- 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.