Coping with pressure

What this session is about

1. Keeping cool when the opposition “presses” the ball.
2. Passing and receiving.

What to think about

Players need to:

• Spread out to create space.
• Play with their head up.
• Show good receiving technique. Ideally, the first touch into space, on the half turn and receive with the back foot, know the next pass before receiving the ball, etc.
• Show good passing technique – eg. sidefoot through middle of ball; use the correct pace, timing, accuracy.

Set-up

What you get your players to do

Mark out two 10-yard squares, which are two yards apart, as in the top picture. Place three players – the attackers – in each square with one ball per square. The remaining six players – the defenders – line up outside the first square.

Once the attackers make their first pass, the first defender enters the first square to win the ball or force the attackers into losing possession in a 3v1 while the attackers try to retain the ball for five passes. Once either event happens, the first defender enters the second square to repeat.

As that happens, the second defender enters the first square. After trying to win possession or force a mistake in the second square, the first defender joins the back of the queue of defenders.

The drill is continuous, but make sure only one defender is in each square at a time.