Awareness Rubber Neck Training with 5 Players

The following session comes from Soccer Awareness Book 36: Scanning and Teaching One-Touch Mentality Training Ideas.

In this eBook we are teaching players to develop a "one touch mentality" in their game, to train the MIND. To play in "Anticipation" of the ball; both on and off it by Scanning the field constantly to make earlier, faster and more successful decisions in the game. How do we do this? Here are some sessions to use to help develop this ability. Preview Book


Four FAST decisions to make here based on the movements of the outside players. Testing the LOOK behind, early positioning of the feet and body of the testing player as the ball is arriving in the middle.

Developing Peripheral Vision from in front of and behind play

Equate to the Continuum

a) LOOK

b) Decision (Skill)

c) Positioning

d) Communication

e) Technique

Outside players can pass around to each other with the central receiving player (E) waiting to see what action is taken.

Rubber Neck 1.png

More difficult now because EVERY pass is accounted for in terms of (D) having to make a decision and going both ways.

(C) passes to (E). (E) has already checked behind both sides to see if anyone has closed them down. (B) has closed (E) down a nd pressed the ball (as mentioned previously no tackling just shadowing) so (E) must turn AWAY from (B) get their body between the ball and the player as a shield and turn and pass to (A).

Rubber Neck 2.png

So (E) has passed to (A). (B) recovers back as (A) passes back to (E). As (E) passes to (A), (E) must immediately look behind again both sides to both (C) and (D) to see their positions. This time (C) presses (E) so (E) must receive and turn AWAY from (C) and pass to (D).

Rubber Neck 3.png


Both (C) and (D) press (E) so now (E) must pass back to the opposite player (B). (B) waits for (C) and (D) to recover back then passes to (E). In the meantime (C) and (D) may be making a different decision which in turn Causes a different decision from (E).

Rubber Neck 4.png

(C) recovers back and (D) stays so now (E) must receive and turn and pass to (C). Always pass to the opposite player from the one who presses (E).

Rubber Neck 5.png

Add cones to act as defenders to force movements to passing lanes

More difficult now because EVERY pass is accounted for in terms of (E) having to decide and going both ways.

(C) passes to (E). (E) has already checked behind both sides to see if anyone has closed them down. (B) has closed (E) down a nd pressed the ball (as mentioned previously no tackling just shadowing) so (E) must turn AWAY from (B) get their body between the ball and the player as a shield and turn and pass to (A).

Rubber Neck 6.png