83: Grow Coach Newsletter
Football Coaches: Develop your Coaching Craft.
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Here is What to Expect:
Coaching Craft: Coaching and Exploiting Overloads
Full 60-Minute Practice: Practices that exploit the overload
Overloads don’t win you the game unless you use them wisely. Intelligence and execution matter most. – Marcelo Bielsa
⚡Overloads & Exploits: Teaching Players to Create and Punish Numerical Advantages
🚀 Why Overloads Win Games
In modern soccer, it’s not just about having the ball—it’s about creating situations where you have more players than the opponent in the right areas of the pitch. Whether it’s a 3v2 in midfield, a 2v1 out wide, or a 4v3 on the counter, overloads are your team’s invitation to dominate.
But recognition alone isn’t enough. Players need to:
Create the overload
Recognise it early
Exploit it quickly
Finish with quality
Teams that master overloads move the ball with intent, support at pace, and hurt the opponent with intelligent timing and execution.
🔑 Framework
CREATE – RECOGNISE – EXECUTE
Use this structure in your coaching:
🎯 CREATE: Manipulate space and pull defenders to create numerical superiority
👁️ RECOGNISE: Constantly scan for imbalances or isolated defenders
💥 EXECUTE: Exploit the moment with fast decisions, support, and end product
🔧 Coaching Steps to Master Overloads
1️⃣ Trigger the Overload
Start by manipulating the opponent’s shape—pull defenders in, isolate others.
Coach Actions:
Teach your team to rotate, drop deep, or use wide width to attract pressure
Use “bait zones” to draw defenders before switching play
Show examples of rotations and false positions that pull markers
Key Coaching Tips:
Use your #9 or #6 to drag opponents and open lanes
Encourage third-man rotations to disrupt defensive assignments
Player Reflection Questions:
How can I drag a defender out of position?
What movement might open up a 2v1 for a teammate?
Why do we need to pull them out before we can exploit space?
When is the best moment to rotate or bait pressure?
How does my movement create an overload somewhere else?
The best teams shift the ball until the picture looks like an advantage, and then they act with speed. – Roberto De Zerbi
2️⃣ Recognise the Moment
Scanning and awareness are essential to take advantage of before the window closes.
Coach Actions:
Build scanning into warm-ups and rondos
Use freeze-frame video to ask: “Where is the overload?”
Reward players who spot the overload early
Key Coaching Tips:
Get players to scan before and after receiving
Train with time-limited overload games to increase urgency
Player Reflection Questions:
Where is the extra player right now?
Can I shift the ball there quickly?
Why does early recognition matter?
When should I exploit vs circulate?
How can I keep my body position open to spot options?
3️⃣ Exploit the Advantage
Once recognised, the overload must be punished—fast passing, movement, and purpose.
Coach Actions:
Practice 3v2s, 4v3s, and underloaded counters at speed
Reward decisive actions (through balls, finishes, third-man runs)
Time overloads (score within 6–8 seconds) to replicate match intensity
Key Coaching Tips:
Limit touches to encourage quicker decisions
Coach movement off the ball to stretch and support the ball carrier
Player Reflection Questions:
Did we use our extra player effectively?
Who supported and stretched the defence?
Why do overloads disappear quickly?
When do I commit defenders vs pass early?
How do I decide to shoot, set, or combine?
4️⃣ Kill the Chaos
The final act—converting numerical superiority into goals.
Coach Actions:
Practice final-third decisions: shoot vs pass vs cross
Include finishing zones and one-touch goals
Highlight body language, composure, and execution in scoring areas
Key Coaching Tips:
Praise calm decisions in chaotic moments
Emphasise “play to finish” mindset, not overplaying
Player Reflection Questions:
Did I rush or stay calm in the final moment?
How did I support the attack to help finish?
Why is patience just as important as speed?
When do I shoot vs set up a better chance?
How can I keep my composure under pressure?
5️⃣ Reset and Regain
Not all overloads lead to goals—be ready to counterpress or rebuild if it breaks down.
Coach Actions:
Train reactions after turnovers in overload situations
Use restart shapes for recovery positioning
Coach defensive transition with urgency and structure
Key Coaching Tips:
Embed the “3-second rule” after loss of possession
Teach compactness immediately after finishing moves
Player Reflection Questions:
What’s my role if the attack breaks down?
Where should I recover to protect the transition?
Why is regaining shape vital after overloads?
When do I counterpress vs drop back?
How can I help my team recover balance?
⚠️Common Mistakes & Fixes
❌ Failing to recognise the overload.
☑️ Build scanning into every session; freeze games to highlight missed opportunities.
❌ Overplaying and wasting the advantage.
☑️ Train decision-making with finish-in-6s conditions; emphasise one or two-touch solutions.
❌ Poor technical execution.
☑️ Use 2v1 and 3v2 technical finishing drills; reward quality actions.
❌ Overcommitting too many players.
☑️ Teach roles within overloads, only certain players go; others balance and cover.
❌ Ignoring the transition if it breaks down.
☑️ Run transition waves, coach “next 5 seconds” after the ball is lost.
🎮 Game-Related Conditions to Coach This Style
🧠 2 points if the overload is used to create a shot within 6 seconds
🔄 Ball must switch sides once before a goal can be scored
🧍 Defenders frozen for 2 seconds after possession regains (gives attackers an overload window)
🎯 Certain players are restricted to one side to create 3v2/4v3 dynamics
⏱️ “One-touch only” zone in final third for end product focus
✅ Coach’s Checklist for Breaking Lines
Before every session or game:
🔲 Do players understand how to create space and overloads?
🔲 Are my practices shaped around scanning, movement, and exploitation?
🔲 Am I using game-speed scenarios to simulate match moments?
🔲 Do I coach both attacking and defensive transitions after overloads?
🔲 Are players supported in the right moments—technically and mentally?
💬 Final Thoughts: Train the Advantage Mindset
Overloads are not just patterns—they’re decisions, instincts, and execution under pressure.
Train your players to:
🧠 Scan for space
🔄 Combine with teammates
⚡ Exploit quickly and finish cleanly
This mindset—of punishing every slight imbalance—is what separates good sides from dangerous ones.
Create it, spot it, punish it. That’s the overload game.
We try to overload the ball side to attract opponents. Then we go to the opposite side quickly to find the space. – Pep Guardiola
The Practices: Exploiting Overloads
Switching Play | Exploiting Wide Area
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Use quick switches of play to overload the sides of the pitch.
Set-Up:
Set up the following: 2 x 15 by 10 boxes, a 5-yard free zone bolted onto the boxes (Place a mini goal in each corner of this zone).
Add a 20 by 30 zone that mirrors a final third. Place a large goal facing the mini goals.
👕 Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s plus 🟢 (GK).
How to Play:
⚫️s Start the practice with a 3v1 in one of the boxes. The ⚫️s connect three passes, then look to switch the ball to the opposite box, where two players are waiting (one in the box and one in the free zone).
As soon as one of the waiting ⚫️s receives the ball, they break quickly into the final third to try and score on the large goal. This triggers the 🔴 recovery defender to track back in. It means the ⚫️s get a 2v1 to goal for a short period until the recovery players get back behind the ball to equalise the numbers.
The 🔴s have three defenders on the pitch, one in the main playing area to help defend the larger goal. One 🔴 inside the box is trying to win possession.
A final 🔴 standing in the middle of the 2 boxes, ready to make a recovery run.
If the 🔴 wins the ball in the boxes, they dribble off the back of the pitch. If the 🔴 wins the ball in the final third, they score in the mini goals.
Once an attack finishes, the coach (C) serves another ball, the attackers/defenders rotate and the practice resets.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆 Reward: Each team gets 6-8 balls. The most goals wins the round.
👨🏫 Review: Players’ intent to exploit the overload whilst it is available.
🚫 Restriction: A 6-second limit to score once play enters the final third or a transition ball is served into the 🔴s to score in the mini goals.
3v2 | Overloads to Goal
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Exploring overloads in wide areas.
Set-Up:
Set up a 40 by 30 playing space. Section off one side to cut off a corner of the pitch. Place a pair of mini goals at the top of the pitch and a larger goal at the bottom.
👕 Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s plus 🟢 (GK).
How to Play:
The ⚫️s start the practice between the mini goals, and they pass to one of their players waiting in either half of the pitch.
There are 2 x 🔴s on the playing area, one player in each half of the field.
⚫️s play 3v2 to the goal, trying to beat the 🟢(GK) . If they score, the players rotate and the practice resets.
If the 🔴s regain the ball, they score in the mini goal.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: Fast attacks that finish with a shot on target or a goal earn a bonus ball for the ⚫️s.
👨🏫 Review: The movements of the three players to exploit the overload.
🚫 Restriction: ⚫️s can only score off a 1-touch finish (Incentives passing into space).
4v3 | Overloads to Goal
⚽️ Created On: @SSPlanner
Aim:
Breaking fast to exploit central attacking overloads.
Set-Up:
On a 50 by 35 playing area. Set up a larger goal at one end and a pair of mini goals at the opposite end.
👕 Teams: ⚫️s vs 🔴s plus 🟢 (GK).
How to Play:
One of the ⚫️s starts the practice from between the mini goals. Within the playing area, 3 x ⚫️s are up against 3 x 🔴s.
The 🔴s have a recovery defender waiting off the pitch. When the ball is played into the practice, this player must run around a mini goal and then join the practice to equalise the numbers.
⚫️s must take advantage of the overload whilst they have it. The ⚫️s are scoring in the larger goal. The 🔴s are scoring in the mini goals.
🚧 Constraints:
🏆Reward: A bonus ball for the ⚫️s for a shot on target. A bonus ball to the 🔴s if they score in the mini goal.
👨🏫 Review: The player combinations and link-ups to create scoring chances.
🚫 Restriction: Shot clock: 8 seconds to shoot or ball is served to the 🔴s.
Find the 2v1, find the overload — then ask the question: Can you punish it?– Emma Hayes
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