Week 20

Outcomes

• ✓Players can maintain a vertical distance of no more than 15 yds between defensive and midfield lines
• ✓Players can shift laterally as a compact unit without creating gaps wider than 5 yds between players
• ✓Players can deny central passing lanes through body orientation and line compression
• ✓Players can hold the mid-block for 60 seconds under sustained opposition possession without losing shape

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 8 flat markers
• 8 bibs (2 colours)
• 3 balls
• 2 large goals

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Three lines of 4 across a 20×20 yd area, each line 8 yds apart. Flat markers define the lines.

   How to run it: Shift drill: all three lines shift left together on coach's hand signal, then right, then compress (all three lines close together to 4 yds), then expand. Focus on simultaneous movement. Progress to adding a ball: coach passes around the outside and lines must shift to stay compact relative to the ball. 11+ protocol at 9 minutes. Close with two reactive shuffle sprints.

   • ›Shift together – the slowest player determines the shape, not the fastest
   • ›Eyes forward on the ball even while shifting laterally

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Block Compression Drill

   15m

   Set up: Half pitch. Defending team in 4-4-2 on their own half. Attacking team of 8 in the other half with 3 balls. Flat markers 15 yds apart mark the two defensive lines.

   How to run it: Attacking team passes the ball around quickly. The defending 4-4-2 must shift as a compact block, staying within the 15-yd vertical band between the markers, and shifting laterally to stay ball-side. Coach gives an 'in shape!' shout when the block is correctly compact, and calls 'gap!' when a lane opens. Run 4-minute blocks, then swap teams.

   • ›The 4-4 mid-block does not press – it waits for the trigger and shows patience
   • ›Wingers in the block tuck in to close central lanes when the ball is central
   • ›Midfield four must stay 3 yds in front of the back four – not level, not 10 yds away
   • ›When the ball goes wide, the block shifts as a unit – no one stays central

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Compact Block 6v6

   15m

   Set up: 40×30 yd pitch. 6v6. One large goal (defended by the compact block), two small wide goals on the far line (attacked by the compact block team after winning possession).

   How to run it: Possession team of 6 tries to score on the large goal. Defending team of 6 in a 3-3 compact block holds shape until a trigger appears, then presses. If they win the ball, they counter-attack on two wide small goals. Points: 1 for each small goal, 2 for maintaining shape for 90 unbroken seconds (coach times). Swap roles every 5 minutes.

   • ›The compactness point (90 seconds) rewards discipline as much as winning the ball
   • ›Award the press only when a real trigger exists – not under general pressure
   • ›Small goals on wide channels reward the wide counter after a compact win

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – 8v8 Mid-Block Hold

   20m

   Set up: 60×40 yd pitch. 8v8 with goalkeepers.

   How to run it: 8v8 match. Condition: defending team must hold the compact mid-block until the ball enters the attacking third or a clear trigger appears. If they press in the mid-block without a trigger and the opponent plays through, the opponent earns a bonus point. Coach tracks 'bad presses' (no trigger) vs. 'good presses' (trigger present). Aim: fewer than 3 bad presses per team per game.

   • ›A compact mid-block is not passive – it is an aggressive wait with a trap ready to spring
   • ›The forward in the block screens the central defenders to prevent easy switches of play
   • ›When the trigger appears, the press must be instant – the wait must not make players slow

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Same pitch, free 8v8 play.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage. Coach counts the number of times each team maintains a compact mid-block successfully (no gaps, no bad press) for 30-second windows. Share the count in debrief.

   • ›Track which player position is most often responsible for breaking compactness
   • ›Watch for the holding midfielder stepping forward unnecessarily

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in two groups: the defensive back line in a line, midfield in a parallel line, 15 yds apart.

   How to run it: Walk-and-stretch: both lines walk slowly toward each other (demonstrating compactness) then walk apart. 3 minutes of static stretches in this visual arrangement. Debrief: 'When is compactness most important? When possession, when in transition, or when defending a lead?' Players debate. Coach closes: 'Compactness is what lets us press safely.'

   • ›Reinforce the relationship between compactness and the earlier pressing work
   • ›Preview: next session applies the mid-block in a full 11v11 game model

Outcomes

• ✓Players can defend in a compact 4-4-2 mid-block for extended phases against 11 opponents
• ✓Players can seamlessly alternate between holding the block and launching a pressed
• ✓Players can use the mid-block to force play to wide areas where the sideline trap can be applied
• ✓Players can concede possession patiently without the block breaking down under individual pressure

Equipment

• 20 cones
• 8 flat markers
• 8 bibs (2 colours)
• 4 balls
• 2 full-size goals

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Full team in a 30×20 yd area. Groups of 3 with one ball per group.

   How to run it: Triangles with movement: pass, press the receiver, recover into a triangle. Players rotate the presser role every 2 minutes. After 6 minutes add 11+ strength: Copenhagen plank (15 sec each side), reverse lunge, lateral bound and stick. Close with two 20-yd sprint-and-brake sequences at match pace.

   • ›Recovery after pressing must be fast – get back into the triangle within 2 steps
   • ›Lunge: front knee tracks over second toe – no inward collapse

2. 2. Technical/Functional Practice – Full 11 Mid-Block Organisation

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch. 11 defenders in 4-4-2. Coach + 4 assistants/players circulate a ball in the attacking half, moving it wide, central, and back. No attacking pressure.

   How to run it: Defending team practices maintaining the mid-block as the ball moves. Coach calls out specific roles to check: 'Pivot – are you 3 yds in front of centre-backs?', 'Left winger – are you tucked inside?', 'Striker line – are you screening the central pass?' Run for 5 minutes of continuous movement, then rotate the defensive players' positions and repeat.

   • ›The striker pair must stay within 3 yds of each other to close the central corridor
   • ›When ball is on the left flank, the right winger tucks to within 10 yds of the right centre-back
   • ›Midfield four are never in a straight horizontal line – slight stagger for depth
   • ›Back four step up 3 yds every time the midfield four step up – the block moves as one piece

3. 3. Skill/Phase Game – Block vs. Attack 7v7

   15m

   Set up: 55×35 yd pitch. 7v7 with goalkeepers. Possession team attacks; defending team in a 4-3 compact block.

   How to run it: Possession team earns a point for playing 10 consecutive passes or scoring a goal. Defending team earns a point for winning the ball on a trigger and playing to a target player over the halfway line within 5 seconds. This creates a high-intensity block-holding challenge. Switch roles every 5 minutes. Track points on a visible scoreboard.

   • ›Block team: resist the urge to count the passes – focus on shape and trigger recognition
   • ›At pass 8 or 9, the possession team will be impatient and force something – that is the moment for the press
   • ›Target player beyond halfway must be moving before the ball is won

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – 11v11 Game Model

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11 with goalkeepers.

   How to run it: Full 11v11 match representing the full Austin Hearts game model: out of possession, defend in a compact mid-block. Press only on clear triggers. Win the ball and transition immediately. Coach calls 'model on!' to signify full game model is in play and 'free play!' for unrestricted periods. Alternate every 5 minutes. Compare the two periods in the debrief.

   • ›During 'model on!' periods: enforce compactness, trigger-only pressing, and quick transition after winning
   • ›The 'free play' period gives players permission to explore and compare the effectiveness
   • ›Use the contrast to make the tactical argument: 'Which period created more chances?'

5. 5. Scrimmage

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch 11v11, no conditions.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage. Coach watches for natural emergence of compact mid-block without instruction. Note three moments where the game model was visible without being prompted.

   • ›Celebrate moments where individual players choose compactness over pressing instinct
   • ›Track whether the team holds the block longer as the session progresses

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players seated in a large circle, coach in the middle.

   How to run it: 2 minutes slow walking, then 3 minutes of full-body stretching led by two player captains. Debrief: 'Name the three things that make the mid-block work.' Players collectively list: compactness, patience, trigger recognition. Coach adds: 'And fast transitions when you win it.' Close the week with a review of all blocks so far: pressing, traps, PCB, counter-press, transitions, compactness.

   • ›Connect all six weeks of work as a coherent game model – not separate skills
   • ›Preview week 21: set pieces in transition – defending corners and attacks