Monkey in the Middle (3 Team Version)
  • Three teams, A, B and C.
  • Teams A and B attempt to keep the ball from Team C by:
    1. Possessing the ball using their own players.
    2. Passing the ball over or through the middle zone to the other team waiting in their own zone. (Team A can pass to Team B as shown in the diagram)
  • The defending team (Team C) is able to get out of the middle by:
    1. Replacing the team that looses the ball out of bounds.
    2. Dispossessing a team and making a pass into the other grid to the waiting team. (eg. Staling it from A and passing it to B).
  • The defending team is only allowed to send three players into one of the grids at one time. The three remaining players must be back in the "middle" before the ball is sent into the other grid. They can not enter the grid until the ball does.
  • If a ball is lost out of bounds, the coach immediately puts a ball into play in the other grid area, making the new defending team run to put immediate pressure on the ball.
  • Make the grids bigger to allow attacking team more success, smaller to challenge them more.
Coaching Points:

  1. Transition
  2. Attacking principles: Long passing, attacking shape, receiving long passes, support.
  3. defending principles: Pressure, cover, balance, compactness, immediate chase.
Make Sure:

  1. If teams are not even, it is OK for a team to play one player down.
  2. Keep the game flowing, if a ball goes out of bounds, immediately call out who is in the "middle" and put the next ball into play.
  3. Defending team defends as a unit and keeps compact .
  4. If the attacking team looses possession of the ball, they try to win it back before the defending team plays it out of their grid.
source: http://www.eteamz.com/soccer/pills/pill061.htm
monkey in the middle soccer