5v5 with Positional Tasks

An ordinary 5v5 rewards whatever happens anyway: the ball goes wherever there is space. This small-sided game rewards two actions instead — actions that decide matches and rarely appear on their own in free play.

The two extra tasks

Central players earn an extra point when they turn with the ball. Turning means receiving so that your next look goes forward instead of back. That is decided by the first touch — and before it, by the shoulder check.

Wide players earn an extra point when they dribble into the final third. Not a pass, not a safe ball — beating the line with the ball at their feet. Dribbling becomes the solution players look for, not the one they fall back on.

Why it works

Points shift attention more reliably than shouting does. Call "turn!" ten times and you might get two turns. Count the turns and you get players who look before receiving, because they know what is about to count.

That is the mechanism behind task-based games: the rule does the coaching. The coach can concentrate on letting the game run and stopping it in the right moments.

Coaching points

• Look before receiving. Without a scan before the ball arrives, turning is down to luck.
• Open body shape. Hips towards the pitch, not towards the passer.
• Count the extra points out loud. Points that are made visible work; silent ones do not.
• Do not introduce both at once. Turning first, dribbling in the next session — otherwise the tasks compete.

Variations

If there is too little turning, add a short protected zone in the centre where the central player cannot be pressed. If there is too much dribbling and too little passing, the dribbling point only counts when a pass finds a teammate afterwards.

More on the principle behind it: game-realistic training and creating and using an overload.