Possession with Purpose: Turning Your Possession into a Dangerous Weapon

with Frank Kohlenstein,
Colorado School of Mines Head Men's Coach;
2015 NCAA Division II South Central Region Coach of the Year - the third time he's won the honor);
7x RMAC Coach of the Year; 9x RMAC Champions (4 Tournament and 5 Regular Season titles);
all-time winningest coach in Colorado School of Mines history

Good teams can possess the ball, great ones turn possession into a dangerous weapon. Developing a quality possession game requires more than counting consecutive passes - there needs to be a directional objective. In this video, Frank Kohlenstein shows you how to implement drills and games that teach possession with a purpose, giving your team the ability to turn any offensive possession into an opportunity for attack.

Coach Kohlenstein provides in-depth illustrations on a white board and on the field to show you how to design drills and activities that teach players to maintain possession. He explains the teaching points he emphasizes during the games:

• The movement and supporting angles needed from supporting players
• Runs that trigger other runs when moving the ball down the field
• The runs and gaps that your attacking players needs to make to penetrate

6v2 E Style

Adapted from Everton Football Club, Kohlenstein demonstrates a 6v2 drill that places all players in a 12x7 yard box, divided in half by cones. This small sided game lays the basic foundation to his team's ability to keep possession and move the ball with a purpose. Players develop a good sense of rhythm when passing while making sure the angles of support are correct for the ability to "penetrate."

This drill can be an effective training tool because it teaches players to patiently look for opportunities to play longer passes behind the defenders. In order to enhance the intensity of this drill, Coach Kohlenstein provides three progressions that will challenge your players throughout the session.

Rado Rondo

The Rado Rondo is a twist on the traditional rondo. To play with a purpose, Kohlenstein expertly uses target players on each end line and one across a mid-line within the grid to link up with the attacking team. The goal for the attacking team is to pass and move quickly, scoring by passing the ball to the target on the opposite side of the grid. By using the target players to create a numerical advantage, the offensive team can retain possession while looking for open lanes to connect the longer scoring passes.

This 3v3+3 rondo is not only directional in nature, but functional because it can be adapted based on your system and style of play. The drill teaches players to combine and play off certain players to penetrate. It's during these games that Kohlenstein's focus changes more to the decision-making and supporting angle of the players off the ball.

8v8+2

In the third drill, Coach Kohlenstein shows how he develops his teams to have a purpose in possession on a larger scale using this 8v8+2 small sided game. By breaking the field up in three zones, he shows a methodical way of teaching this topic based on where players are on the field. Players try to keep possession of the ball and move through the different thirds of the pitch while trying to score. Throughout the game, Kohlenstein explains the decisions players must think about when in certain thirds.

Every coach must teach their team how to be dangerous in possession. Coach Kohlenstein shows you ideas for how to train your team to have a purpose when you have possession!

62 minutes. 2017.