Beat Your Man

Taking on a defender with confidence — the sidestep, the change of pace and the dummy solo that leaves them for dead.

Gaelic football
U12
60 min
16–22 players
2 coaches
Effort 3/5
half pitch
u12
evasion
1v1-attacking
sidestep
running-with-ball

The PitchPlans coaching teamGAA Award 1 & 2 coaches

Kit: 24 cones, 10 balls, 16 bibs (2 colours)

Warm-up8 min

Weave and Wave

Setup: A ball each in a 25×25m square.

How it works: Solo and carry around the square. On SIDESTEP, plant one foot and cut sharply the other way as if beating a defender. On GEARS, change from a jog to a burst and back. On DUMMY, dip the shoulder and sell a fake before carrying on. Coach mixes the calls. It rehearses every evasion move with no defender, so the bodies learn the shapes first.

What to say

“Sidestep off a firm outside foot, then push away hard.”
“Sell it with your eyes and shoulders, not just your feet.”
“Change pace to beat them — slow, then explode.”

Easier

Walk the moves first; bigger square.

Harder

Link two moves together — a sidestep then a burst; solo throughout.

Activity14 min

Beat the Gate Guard

Setup: A 4m gate, an attacker with a ball six metres in front, a defender guarding the gate, small groups so reps are quick.

How it works: The attacker must carry through the gate; the defender guards it, allowed to move along the gate line only. The attacker uses a sidestep, dummy or change of pace to beat the guard and go through. Through the gate is two points, a good fake that opens the gap is one. Swap roles each go. It isolates the moment of beating a man in a tight space.

What to say

“Attack the defender's front foot, then cut off it.”
“Commit them one way with a dip, then go the other.”
“Explode after the beat — the yard you win is right after the move.”

Easier

Wider gate; defender walks along the line only.

Harder

STEPR: narrow gate; defender may step off the line to tackle once.

Activity13 min

Corner Cross 1v1

Setup: A 15×15m box with a target cone in two opposite corners, 1v1 with a feeder.

How it works: The attacker gets the ball and can score by carrying to either of the two target corners; the defender can only defend one at a time, so a good fake toward one opens the other. First to the corner wins the point. It trains the attacker to read the defender and pick the free space, and the defender to stay patient. Quick rotation, everyone attacks and defends.

What to say

“Look at both corners — make the defender choose, then take the other.”
“Fake to the near corner, break to the far one.”
“Once you commit, go at full pace, no second-guessing.”

Easier

Three target corners; defender may only shadow.

Harder

STEPR: add a time limit; add a recovering second defender.

The rest of this session is free — along with 3 more this week.

PitchPlans coaching team

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