Breaking a zone

Setup

1. The defence (bibs) sets a 3-2 zone: wa, c and ga across the centre third near the transverse line, wd and gd behind them.
2. The attack starts with GD holding the ball in the defence third; WD and C start wide on the sidelines, GA sits behind the front three and WA stays high.

How it runs

1. The attack scores by landing the ball with a player in the goal third; the defence scores with an intercept or a held ball.
2. The first two passes swing the ball side to side to pull the front three across; the cut comes on the third pass.
3. GA (or C) times a cut into the seam between two front defenders as they slide, turns, and plays to the free player on the overload side.
4. Reps of 30–40 s, 6 per side, swapping roles every 3 reps.

Coaching points

• Width first: WD and C stay on the sideline until the ball is swung, which stretches the gaps in the front three.
• Don't run into the zone. Hold behind it and cut late, as the defender's head turns to follow the ball.
• Overload one channel 2v1 on the back defender, then hit the free player, not the marked one.
• Prefer a flat skip pass across to a lob over the top; the back two are waiting for the lob.

Common mistakes

• Everyone leading to the ball at once, which shrinks the space and helps the zone.
• Throwing the long lob over the front three on the first pass.
• Cutting too early and standing in the gap before the ball can get there.