Blindside Bounce

Obj: Third-man combinations where the third man arrives from the defender's blind side — the ghost runs that finish moves before defenses see them. Field: 30×20yd; two mannequin/live defender stations; finish zone/goal. Equip: Cones, mannequins, balls, bibs. Org: A circulates with B under a defender's eye; C (the ghost) loiters behind the second defender's field of view, then times a blindside run to meet B's first-time bounce in the pocket beyond — A→B(bounce)→C-ghosting = the scoring chain. The bounce must be first-time (any settle touch lets the defense find C). Rotate all roles; both sides. Live defenders from round 3 — now C must genuinely read when he's forgotten. CP: (1) C's positioning rule: stand where the defender must choose between watching you and watching the ball — then move when he chooses the ball; (2) B's bounce goes to space at 45° behind, weighted for a runner he cannot see (trust the pattern — feel, don't look); (3) A's job is theater: make the circulation interesting enough that nobody watches C. Prog: Fully live 3v3 where blindside-chain goals count triple; finishing on goal + GK. Reg: Mannequin defenders; C's run called aloud by the coach. Mist: P: C creeping into view early (ghosts that chat aren't ghosts); C(coach): drilling the chain without the live read — blindness must be earned from real defenders eventually. Time: 15 min. Out: Ghost-run timing; first-time bounces to unseen runners — the model's most beautiful pattern, honestly earned. Var: Box-arrival version: the chain's end is a cutback met by a ghost at the penalty spot (G-14 marriage). Diag: Grid with A-B circulation, defender eyes-arrows on the ball, C's dashed loiter position behind the second defender, curved ghost run onto B's 45° bounce.