Coaching tools › Activities › Pressing and transition
Free activity · 100 Possession ActivitiesPress the First Pass
4v4 with a neutral on each end line. When a team loses the ball, at least two players must press the first pass, and winning it back inside two passes is worth two points. The first pass after a win is often the worst one.
Setup
A 25x20 with a neutral on each end line. 4v4.
How it works
- Score by passing to one neutral and receiving from the other.
- When a team loses the ball, the first pass by the winners must be pressed by at least two players.
- Win it back inside two passes: two points.
Scoring
First to ten.
- The moment we lose it, the nearest two go.
- Press the first pass: it is the worst pass they will play.
- Cut the lane to the neutral.
Make it easier or harder
- Progression 1: Win it back inside one pass.
- Progression 2: Neutrals have one touch, so the ball moves faster.
Coach’s notes
- If It Stalls: Pressing late? Blow the whistle at the loss for a round so everyone hears it.
Why it works
A team that has just won the ball is usually not ready. Heads are down and shapes are broken. That is the best moment to win it back, and it only lasts a few seconds.
Two players, not one. One presser can be passed around. The second cuts the lane and turns it into a real press.
Where it sits
This is activity 83 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 9 · Win It Back: Counter-Pressing). The book is ten themes of ten rungs each, from a 3v1 square to a full 9v9 transition game, and every activity has its setup, rules, scoring, two progressions, three coaching points and an animated video like the one above.
More like this
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionWin-It-Back BoxesSeveral 12x12 boxes with a 2v2 in each. Five passes is a point, and if you lose the ball you have five seconds to win it back for two.
Open the activity ›
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionSwarm and ScoreThree teams of four. Win it back in five seconds and your next goal doubles.
Open the activity ›
Ages 11+ · Pressing and transitionPress to GoalLose it near their goal, win it back in five seconds, and score for three.
Open the activity ›All ten rungs of this theme, and nine more themes
100 Possession Activities is a 115-page PDF with 100 animated MP4 videos: rondos, playing out from the back, through the lines, support, switching, overloads, movement, timing, counter-pressing and counter-attacks. Print the page, watch the clip, run the session.