Negative space lies between the ball and an offensive player's
own goal. It tends to be less well defended than the space being
attacked directly, and because of that, it is useful for holding
possession, in relieving pressure, in switching the point of
attack, and in creating shots. The reason: Defenders concentrate
behind the ball once possession is lost; their interest in the
negative spaces on the field lessens as the ball is played
forward. The ball dropped back for a shot, the dribble back away
from pressure, and the backwards pass are all examples of using
negative space.
Bob Gansler, our former national team coach, once even advocated
tricking defenders by intentionally playing a ball forward into
crowded space, an action designed to draw defenders to the ball,
while, at the same time, opening space and reducing pressure in
other areas of the field. The passer, resisting a natural
temptation to follow the pass, instead steps back away from the
player forward in possession. That forward player, the so-called
"target" man, draws the pressure then plays negatively.
The
receiver, now with a less obstructed view of the spaces under
attack, can change the point of attack into more weakly defended
areas. The Dutch call such a receiver of the pass back the
"window" player. The idea is simple: play forward, draw
pressure, play negatively, then play forward again into more
dangerous areas.
Good teams use negative space
purposefully. A window player receiving a pass back at the top
of the penalty box drives the ball at goal with a first-touch
shot or uses the space created around the ball (really the extra
time) to produce the killer through ball.
In the attacking or high middle
third of the field, the target receiver, usually a striker, is
closely followed by a marking defender. Receiving the ball there
oftentimes draws the sweeper out of position and flattens the
back of the defense, and that, in turn, creates opportunities
for the dangerous ball through. Good teams intentionally use
negative space to their advantage: watch Brazil, watch Ajax,
watch Virginia. The Brazilians do it magically to hold their
possession and create. And as I write this, England is using the
concept brilliantly too in Euro '96. Gascoigne in particular has
been a master.
The key
to developing play into negative space is to get players
consciously thinking about it. Providing practice sessions that
highlight play into negative space helps.
Practice Session:
The Warm-Ups
Diagram 1,
the circle drill, serves as a proper warm-up for the session. A
team of 16, divided into two groups, forms circles twenty yards
in diameter with a single player at center. Two versions of the
game are shown in the diagram. At the top, central player (a)
runs first away then back toward player (b), who in turn plays
him pass 1. The target's first touch lays the ball back (pass 2)
to player (c)--the window player--whose first or second touch is
to then play the ball forward (pass 3) to player (d). Player
(b), having followed his pass inside and exchanged places with
player (a), then starts another set of passes with a run toward
player (d). Passes 4,5, and 6 follow, as play remains dynamic,
the ball never stops moving.
In the lower session--a
progression from the one above--two defenders have been added to
the mix for a touch of game realism. The same kinds of runs and
player exchanges take place, but should a defender win
possession, the offensive player causing the loss then defends.
Here, the players on the circle's edge must play two touch,
though they don't necessarily need to play to the target player
in the center. They can instead play across the circle directly
(pass 1), though the exchange of the target player only occurs
following the pass inside. The central player here has unlimited
touches; he can turn with the ball instead of dropping it back
if a lack of pressure allows it. Any pass from the circle's edge
must be a skip pass--the passer's nearest neighbor is not
eligible. And again, the ball cannot stop moving at the circle's
edge without causing a violation and defender exchange. The five
players at the circle's edge must constantly adjust their
positions to help the passer.
Technical Performance:
Negative Space and Switching Play (the "Three-Ball" Game)
The three-ball game, Diagram 2,
highlights one of the important reasons for using negative
space: switching the point of attack. Six, 10 by 10 yard squares
are laid out with flat cones on a half field as shown. A group
of 16 players has been divided into three teams of five plus a
goal keeper. While one team and the goal keeper man the six
boxes, the other two scrimmage one another.
The object is to play the ball to
one of your three receivers, who themselves are constrained to
the receiving boxes. Receivers act as keepers and are free to
use their hands. The restrictions: (1) a ball cannot be played
to a receiver already in possession of a ball; and (2) only a
ball played first forward then back can be played to a receiver
in the run of play. Here, players 3 or 5 could attempt play to
goals (a) or (b) but not to (c) because the receiver there
already holds a ball. When such a receiver gains possession, he
holds it while the coach serves another. Until all three balls
have been entered into play.
After the third ball is held,
either one team has captured all three or the two have split
possessions. In the first case, the game ends and the losers
switch places with the five receivers--the goal keeper stays in
place--but in the second, a receiver from the team last scored
against puts his ball back into play. The first team to capture
all three is declared winner and stays to take on all comers.
Technical Performance: Attacking
Goal
Diagrams 3 and
4 bring play into the attacking third. The first highlights
shooting, the second final-third creative play. In Diagram 3
player 1 passes to player 2, as he comes round cone c1. One then
moves laterally to receive the ball back--a "double" pass. With
his first touch, he plays the ball forward to player 3, who has
just rounded cone c2. Three drops the ball back for two's shot,
then the players rotate: player 1 rounds cone c1 to replace
player 2; player 2 rounds cone c2 to replace player 3; player 3
goes behind goal to retrieve the next shot (replacing player 4);
and player 4 comes to the midline with a ball.
Diagram 4
creates a situation for creative play in the attacking third: an
attacking sequence involving target players is orchestrated.
Four attacking players are involved: players 1 and 2 start at
flat cone markers and make curved runs first away then back
towards the ball, while players 3 and 4 attack from near
midline. Following a short dribble, three passes to one, who, in
turn, drops the ball back to four. Player four then passes
forward to player two, who again drops the ball back to three,
following the latter's overlap run. Four follows his pass
forward; two continues to step out and create space at his back;
and one provides the attacking width by continuing to run down
the wing. Two marking defenders and a sweeper defend the attack
with a constraint forcing the sweeper to start play between his
marking defenders, who themselves begin play by marking targets
1 and 2. Offensive play is limited to two touches, and though
play is shown orchestrated here, players are encouraged to
improvise.
In the final third, we want play
to be unpredictable, to change direction often and quickly.
After the ball is played to goal or out of bounds, players three
and four reposition themselves as targets one and two, and two
new players enter at the midline, and another group of three
defenders alternates after each possession. To begin play and
acquaint players with the sequence, defenders need not be used.
In such play the last pass back to player three would be
followed by his shot, by three's pass inside to player four for
his shot, or by three's pass wide to player one for the latter's
cross.
Match-Related Play
The session ends with the
restricted 8v8 scrimmage shown in Diagram 5.
The field is two-thirds regular size with wing zones and
pass-back lines marked in flat cones as shown. Each team is
organized with two strikers, three midfielders, two marking
defenders and a keeper, and play is natural except for a single
restriction: a possession won above your pass-back line in the
normal run of play must be followed by a pass into negative
space, or a free kick is awarded the other team.
The
methods for scoring further emphasize the effective use of
negative space: (1) a goal scored from a ball dropped back
counts four points; (2) scored any other way, the goal counts
two points; (3) a single point can be scored on each possession
by swinging the ball from one wing zone to the other--switching
play; and (4) a single point can be scored on each possession by
stringing together five passes. The coach keeps tally.
Here, squares have won possession
at the wing, well above their pass-back line; consequently,
one's first pass is back to player 2, the window man. He, in
turn, changes the point of attack and directs play into the
opposite wing for a point. On each possession, a team could
score six points: by switching the ball from one wing zone to
the other, by stringing five passes together, and by scoring
from a ball dropped back.
Effective use of negative space
is one of many keys to good attacking play. Superior teams use
it well. Just watch the Brazilians, Ajax, or Virginia play; or
watch the England-Dutch game in the first round of Euro '96.
Copyright © Ric Miller 1996 (all rights
reserved)