Mastering the ball: futsal 1v1

The game is set up as shown in the graphic below, but it can easily be played with more players and across the court so that two games can be going on at the same time.

The players are matched up 1v1, with every other player on each team having a ball. The players with a ball attack the goal, trying to beat their opposing player and go into the area past the dotted line. If they succeed, their man marker stops, allowing the defender in that area to take over.

The player tries to score, but if they miss or the goalkeeper saves it, the next ball is rolled out to the player who stopped at the dotted line. The player must then recover quickly as their opponent attacks the other goal.

Remember that all 1v1’s are going on at the same time, so quite randomly attacking players may face the defender in the end zone or, if they're defending someone else, the players with the ball can shoot without pressure. If the goalkeeper is saving another shot, get the players to look to place the ball calmly into corners. Remind them to recover as their 1v1 opponent will then attack.

This game is continuous so have plenty of balls available for the goalkeepers to quickly restart the attacks. It’s also a good idea to have servers to help out with this. They can roll the balls out if the keeper is busy making saves.

To progress the game, you can put a line of cones in at a given point that the attacker is allowed to cross before the defender can chase. This will give some players who need it, more time. It will also make the recovering defender run faster.


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