7v6 Soccer Drills: 6 Games to Break Lines and Finish as a Team

Quick answer: A 7v6 works when the seven attackers build with width, find the free player between the lines, and turn the spare player into a 2v1 in one area of the pitch. Play through, around or over the first line, switch fast when the defence shifts, then finish within 10 seconds of breaking the last line.

Seven attackers against six defenders is a team-shape problem, not a finishing problem. The extra player is usually the goalkeeper in build-up or a midfielder between the lines, and most teams waste them.

The ball moves slowly across the back, nobody receives between the lines, and the attack arrives in the final third with every defender already goal-side. The same build-up problem decides games in football at every level, and it is solved by a first pass that breaks a line, a receiver who shows on the half-turn, and a run that arrives as the ball does.

These six games teach that sequence. Each one starts with a 7v6, each one ends with a finish, and each one rewards the team that finds the free player first.

Session snapshot

• Players: 14-22 (7 attackers, 6 defenders, goalkeeper, plus rotation groups)
• Area: 40 x 35 to 60 x 45 yards, one full-size goal
• Duration: 60 minutes for all six games, or 20 minutes for any two
• Focus: Build-up, breaking lines, the free player, 2v1s, finishing as a team
• Equipment: Cones, bibs, balls, one full-size goal, two mini goals for Drill 1
• Age: U13-U18 (see age adaptations)

The one rule: find the free player, then use them fast

A 7v6 gives the attacking team one spare player. That player is only useful if they are found early, between the lines or wide, and used before the defence can shift across.

• Build with width and depth. The back players must stretch the pitch. A narrow build-up lets six defenders cover seven attackers.
• Receive on the half-turn. The player between the lines must face forward. A sideways first touch wastes the line break.
• Turn the spare player into a 2v1. The overload matters only when two attackers isolate one defender in one area.
• Finish fast once the last line breaks. Shoot within 10 seconds. A slow finish lets the sixth defender recover.

Start with 6v5 soccer drills if your players cannot yet stretch a compact low block; the 7v6 below adds a sixth defender and a full team shape, so the build-up must break lines, the free player must be found between them, and the finish must come from a rehearsed team pattern.

Drill 1 — Find the Free Player

The starting point for every 7v6. Seven attackers build from the goalkeeper on a truncated pitch, find the free player, and attack two mini goals, while six defenders counter to the big goal.

Setup:

• One 60 x 45 yard pitch, truncated diagonally on one side, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper, two mini goals at the far end.
• Seven attackers in blue bibs, six defenders in red bibs, one ball per rep.
• Spare balls in the full-size goal, and a coach on the touchline to restart play fast.

How to Play:

1. The goalkeeper starts every attack and plays short to a centre-back.
2. The seven attackers build with width, and the free player shows between the lines.
3. The ball must reach the free player before the attackers may attack a mini goal.
4. The free player drives forward, creates a 2v1, and releases a teammate wide or beyond.
5. The attack finishes in a mini goal within 10 seconds of reaching the free player.
6. If the six defenders win the ball, they counter to the full-size goal at once.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Find the free player!” If the ball goes wide without touching the free player, bring it back. The line break is the drill.

Progressions: The free player must receive on the half-turn, then the finish must be first time.

Drill 2 — Build-Up Waves to 7v6

The overload builds wave by wave from the back. Each wave adds one attacker and one defender, until the final wave is a full 7v6 that must break two lines and finish.

Setup:

• One 50 x 40 yard pitch, a full-size goal at each end with a goalkeeper in each goal.
• Two teams of fourteen, with players waiting in two lines behind each goal.
• One ball per wave, spare balls with the coach at the halfway line.

How to Play:

1. Wave 1 is 2v1: two attackers build from the goalkeeper against one pressing defender.
2. Wave 2 is 3v2: a third attacker enters, and the press adds a second defender.
3. Wave 3 is 4v3: the next attacker enters, and the ball must break the first line.
4. Wave 4 is 5v4: the next attacker enters, and the free player must be found between the lines.
5. Wave 5 is 6v5: the next attacker enters, and the attack must switch to the far side.
6. Wave 6 is 7v6: the final attacker enters, the full shape defends, and the attack finishes or the wave ends.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Next wave!” Players must sprint on and off between waves. A slow changeover lets the defence set two lines.

Progressions: Cut each wave to 8 seconds, then require the 7v6 wave to finish from a first-time shot.

Drill 3 — Break the Lines

The pitch is split into three zones. The seven attackers must play through each line in order, and the receiver in each zone must turn forward before the ball moves on.

Setup:

• One 50 x 40 yard area, split into three zones with cones, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper.
• Seven attackers in blue bibs, six defenders in red bibs, two in the first zone, two in the second, two in the third.
• One ball per rep, spare balls with the coach on the touchline.

How to Play:

1. The ball starts with the goalkeeper, who plays to a centre-back in the first zone.
2. The centre-back breaks the first line with a pass into the second zone.
3. The receiver in the second zone takes a half-turn touch and faces forward at once.
4. The receiver plays through the second line to a striker in the third zone.
5. The striker lays the ball off, or turns and drives at the last two defenders to create a 2v1.
6. The attack finishes first time, or after one touch, within 10 seconds of the line break.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Through the line!” If a pass goes around a line instead of through it, stop the rep. Going around is allowed only after two line breaks.

Progressions: Limit the middle zone to two touches, then require the final pass to be played in behind the last two defenders.

Drill 4 — Wide Overload to Cutback

The six defenders shift to the ball side. This game teaches the seven attackers to create a 3v2 wide, then cut the ball back for runners arriving late in the box.

Setup:

• One 50 x 40 yard area, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper, cones marking two wide channels.
• Seven attackers in blue bibs, six defenders in red bibs, one ball per rep.
• Spare balls with the coach on the touchline, and a winger starting in each wide channel.

How to Play:

1. The ball starts with a pivot, who plays wide to the winger in the left channel.
2. Two attackers join the winger at speed, making it 3v2 in the wide channel.
3. The three attackers combine quickly, with one overlap and one underlap, to beat the two defenders.
4. The wide player drives to the end line and cuts the ball back low.
5. Two runners arrive in the box, one at the near post and one at the penalty spot.
6. Restart from the opposite channel after every rep so both sides are trained.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Three wide, cut it back!” The third attacker must arrive before the pass. A late arrival leaves the winger in a 1v2.

Progressions: The cutback must be first time, then the far-side winger must arrive as the second runner.

Drill 5 — Final-Third Phase of Play

A rehearsed team pattern against a set 7v6 shape. The seven attackers run the same pattern three times, then change the pattern, so every player learns the run, the pass and the finish.

Setup:

• One 45 x 35 yard area in the final third, one full-size goal with a goalkeeper, cones marking the starting shape.
• Seven attackers in blue bibs in a 3-2-2 shape, six defenders in red bibs in a 4-2 shape.
• One ball per rep, spare balls behind the goal.

How to Play:

1. Pattern A: the pivot plays wide, the winger overlaps, and the striker attacks the near post.
2. Pattern B: the pivot switches to the far side, the underlap runs inside, and the finish comes from a cutback.
3. Pattern C: the striker drops short, lays the ball off, and the third-man runner finishes from the edge of the box.
4. Run each pattern three times in a row, with the defenders at half pressure first.
5. Then run the patterns at full pressure, and the defenders may win the ball and counter to the cone line.
6. After nine reps, swap the patterns: the attackers choose the pattern, and the defenders must read it.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Same pattern, full speed!” Rehearsal is the point. If a run is late, freeze the shape and show where the runner should be.

Progressions: Remove the coach’s pattern call, then require the finish to be first time in Patterns A and B.

Drill 6 — Transition Game, Both Ways

The overload runs both ways. Whichever team wins the ball attacks 7v6 at once, and the team that lost it must sprint back and protect the free player.

Setup:

• One 60 x 45 yard pitch, a full-size goal at each end with a goalkeeper in each goal.
• Two teams of fourteen, with seven attackers and six defenders on the pitch at any time.
• Spare balls behind both goals, and a coach on each touchline to restart play fast.

How to Play:

1. The coach plays the ball to the blue team, who build 7v6 against the red defenders.
2. The blue team must find the free player and finish within 10 seconds of breaking the last line.
3. If the red team wins the ball, they attack the far goal 7v6 at once, with no reset.
4. The team that lost the ball sprints back, and the free player is the runner they must track.
5. A goal from a 7v6 attack scores double, and a goal from a counter after winning the ball scores triple.
6. Play for 4 minutes, rest for 1 minute, then swap which team starts with the ball.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Win it, go!” The transition is the drill. A team that jogs back after losing the ball concedes the free player twice in one rep.

Progressions: Cut the shot clock to 8 seconds, then require the counter-attack to finish in three passes or fewer.

Coaching points

• “Find the free player!” The spare player decides the 7v6. If nobody finds them, the overload was wasted.
• “Half-turn!” The receiver between the lines must face forward. A sideways touch kills the line break.
• “Through the line!” Play through, not around. Going around is the reward for two line breaks, not the first option.
• “Make it a 2v1!” Isolate one defender with two attackers. The overload is only useful when it becomes a 2v1 somewhere on the pitch.
• “Three wide, cut it back!” The wide 3v2 in Drill 4 only works if the third attacker arrives before the pass.
• “Finish within 10 seconds!” Every 7v6 has a clock. Train the finish that follows with a 1v1 finishing drill.
• “Win it, go!” The counter-attack is decided in the first two seconds after winning the ball.

Common mistakes

Age adaptations

How to run the 60 minutes

Use the full hour as the main practice phase in the 60-minute youth soccer session plan, or run Drills 1 and 3 only as a 20-minute build-up block.

From 7v6 to full-team overloads

When the free player is found between the lines and the team finishes as a unit, the same principle scales up: create the overload in one area, then move the ball to the spare player in another. The 5v4 soccer drills teach the smaller spare-player decision under a press, and switching play drills teach the long switch that opens the far side: use these switching play soccer drills once Drill 4 is clean, so the switch in a 7v6 arrives at full speed and on the correct foot.

Sources

These drills are based on, and in line with, the FIFA Training Centre FC Twente/Heracles U16 session on finding the free player, which uses an 8v6 exercise that became a 7v6 in the session, stresses deliberately creating a one-player overload around the ball, finding the free player, and creating structured build-up play from the goalkeeper; and with the FIFA Training Centre session on creating and exploiting overloads, which stresses using the spare player at all times, creating 2v1s inside overloads, and the timing, weight and accuracy of the final pass. No FIFA approval, endorsement or affiliation is claimed.

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