Week 14

Outcomes

• ✓Players can name and recognise a poor touch, back pass, and lateral pass as pressing triggers
• ✓Players can initiate a press with a clear verbal or visual cue within one second of the trigger
• ✓Players can angle their press to force play to the sideline
• ✓Players can maintain compactness behind the press so the second line is ready to intercept

Equipment

• 10 cones
• 6 poles or mannequins
• 4 bibs (2 colours)
• 2 balls
• 1 whiteboard + marker

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Players in two lines of 6, facing each other 5 yds apart. Cones mark a 30×20 yd warm-up strip.

   How to run it: Run FIFA 11+ protocol: jogging exercises (forward, backward, sideways), hip circles, single-leg balance, lateral hops, and two sets of bounding. Add a trigger-awareness game: coach holds up coloured bib – red means sprint forward 5 yds, blue means backpedal. Finish with two 20-yd striding runs.

   • ›Land softly through the whole foot on every deceleration
   • ›Eyes on the coach/opponent, not the ground
   • ›React on the first cue – no hesitation

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Trigger Recognition Rondo

   15m

   Set up: Four 6×6 yd rondo squares arranged in a 2×2 block with 5 yds between them. 4v1 in each square. Coach calls which square is 'live'.

   How to run it: The 4 possession players keep the ball in the square. When coach shouts 'trigger!', the solo defender must press the ball carrier immediately – press angle cuts off the easy pass. Rotate defenders every 90 seconds. Progress: players themselves call 'trigger!' on a bad touch without the coach.

   • ›Press at an angle to eliminate the back pass and force to one side
   • ›First defender's body shape should be side-on, not face-on, to channel
   • ›Second defenders shift to cut the nearest passing lane on the press
   • ›Trigger cue must be loud and immediate – within one second

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Press or Hold?

   15m

   Set up: 40×30 yd grid. Two teams of 6. Three zones: defensive third, middle, attacking third. Balls at coach on the side.

   How to run it: Play 6v6 possession. Defending team earns a point for forcing a turnover in the attacking third (high press win). They lose a point if they press in a bad moment and the opponent plays through them. Coach stops play to name the trigger or non-trigger each time. Rotate defending team every 4 minutes.

   • ›Identify: did a trigger exist before the press was launched?
   • ›Compact block when no trigger – don't chase the ball
   • ›Win the ball high, attack immediately

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Triggered High Press

   20m

   Set up: 60×40 yd pitch with full-size or large portable goals. 9v9 (or numbers available). Goalkeepers in. Cones mark a high press zone in the top 25 yds.

   How to run it: Normal 9v9 scrimmage with one rule: any turnover won inside the high press zone scores double. Encourage the team to set a press cue word (e.g. 'hearts!'). Coach pauses play twice to show a freeze-frame of a missed trigger or a well-executed press. Restart quickly after each pause.

   • ›The whole team shifts together on the trigger – one second lag breaks the press
   • ›Press the ball, cover the passing lane, balance the back line simultaneously
   • ›Once the press fails, drop into organised shape immediately – don't chase

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Same 60×40 yd pitch. Free play 9v9 with goalkeepers. No added rules.

   How to run it: Let the game flow. Players self-organise pressing. Coach observes only, noting two or three moments to reference in debrief. Intervene only for safety.

   • ›Are players using their cue word from the conditioned game?
   • ›Look for individual moments of excellent angle of press to highlight

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a circle, light jogging in place then static stretching.

   How to run it: Lead 2 minutes of light jogging, then 3 minutes of static hamstring, quad, and calf stretches. Ask: 'Name one trigger you saw today.' One player per trigger type. Close with the team cue word.

   • ›Reinforce: press is a collective action, not a one-player chase
   • ›Preview next session: applying the press in a defending unit

Outcomes

• ✓Players can coordinate a press across forward, midfield, and defensive lines simultaneously
• ✓Players can drop into a compact mid-block when no trigger is present
• ✓Players can exploit a turnover won high with a quick vertical attack
• ✓Players can communicate the press trigger verbally to teammates

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 6 bibs (3 colours)
• 4 balls
• 2 full-size or portable goals
• 1 whiteboard

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Players in a 25×20 yd area. Groups of 3, each trio with one ball.

   How to run it: Pass-and-follow warm-up: triangle passing with movement. Progress to one-touch then add a pressing shadow: the player without the ball 'ghosts' a press on the receiver before the pass arrives. Add dynamic stretches (leg swings, hip rotations, glute bridges) after 8 minutes. Finish with two 15-yd sprint-decelerate reps.

   • ›Ghost press must show correct body angle – channel, don't dive
   • ›Core tight during glute bridges – hip height consistent

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Three-Line Pressing Shape

   15m

   Set up: Half pitch (55×40 yd). Attacking team of 11 plays out from GK. Defending team of 11 sets up in 4-3-3 pressing shape. Coach feeds balls to attacking GK to restart.

   How to run it: Attacking team try to play through. Defending team practices: (1) forwards set the press angle and channel, (2) midfield shifts to cut passing lanes, (3) defence holds a high line and stays compact. Coach restarts every 60 seconds with a new ball to GK. Run 6 repetitions then switch roles.

   • ›Forwards must bend their runs to block the back pass to GK first
   • ›Midfield pivot steps forward to double on a forced pass to the feet of a midfielder
   • ›Back line steps up 5 yds as the press triggers – no space behind for a lofted ball
   • ›If press is broken, immediately drop and reset – no secondary chase

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Turnover Attack

   15m

   Set up: 60×40 yd. 7v7 + two neutral wide players (always with attacking team). Two small goals at one end, one large goal at the other.

   How to run it: Defending team earns the right to attack the large goal only by winning the ball via a triggered press. If they win possession in the high third, they counter-attack immediately in 5 seconds or forfeit possession. Coach counts aloud '1-2-3-4-5' to add urgency.

   • ›Turnover moment: the player who wins the ball turns forward first
   • ›Teammates who were pressing must sprint into support angles immediately
   • ›Wide neutrals stretch the defence – use them early in the counter

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – 11v11 Press & Transition

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch (or largest available). 11v11 with goalkeepers. Four coloured cones mark the high press zone in the top 30 yds of each half.

   How to run it: Full 11v11 match with one condition: a turnover won inside the high press zone counts as two goals if a shot is taken within 8 seconds. Coach tracks time on a stopwatch and calls out if the team beats the 8-second window. Pause maximum twice for tactical shape corrections.

   • ›Defensive block sits in a compact 4-4-2 mid-block until the trigger appears
   • ›The press must be launched by the nearest forward – second and third players react to their angle
   • ›After winning high, the first pass should be forward or wide – avoid squaring across

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11, free play, no extra conditions.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage. Coach watches for carry-over of pressing triggers without prompting. Note two positive moments and one area to develop for the debrief.

   • ›Is the team communicating the trigger word without coach involvement?
   • ›Watch defensive line management when the press fails

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Circle debrief, players seated or gently walking.

   How to run it: 2-minute easy walk, then seated hip-flexor and thoracic rotation stretches. Ask one player from each line (forward, mid, defence) to describe their role in the press. Close with a team reminder: 'Press with purpose, recover with shape.'

   • ›Affirm good examples of all three lines working together
   • ›Set clear focus for week 15: pressing traps on the sideline