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Free activities · By topicCounter-pressing drills
5 free, with video
The best moment to win the ball is the second after you lose it: the other team is still turning, and your players are already near the ball. These drills make the five-second fight a habit.
What it means
Counter-pressing means pressing the moment you lose the ball instead of dropping back. A team that has just won it is usually not ready: heads are down and shapes are broken. That window only lasts a few seconds, so the nearest players have to go at once.
The habit behind it is the Five-Second Fight, and five seconds is the deal. The nearest player goes, the next two close the passing lanes, and if the ball isn’t back by then, stop chasing and get small. Players accept hard running much more easily when they know it ends.
What to coach
- React first, think second. Nearest player goes now.
- Press the first pass: it is the worst pass they will play.
- The player who lost it leads the press.
- After five seconds, stop chasing and get small.
The ladder
Every theme in 100 Possession Activities climbs the same way. Rungs 1 to 3 are rondos for the start of a session. Rungs 4 to 7 are the middle: direction, goals, decisions. Rungs 8 to 10 are games with one rule. These are free:
Rung 1 · 4v2Five-Second RondoA 4v2 rondo with one extra rule: when the defenders win it, they try to keep it in the square and the four have five seconds, counted out loud, to win it back.
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Rung 2 · 2v2Win-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.
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Rung 3 · 4v4+2Press the First PassWhen you lose it, the nearest two press the very next pass.
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Rung 4 · 4v4v4Swarm and ScoreThree teams of four. Win it back in five seconds and your next goal doubles.
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Rung 5 · 5v5+GKPress to GoalLose it near their goal, win it back in five seconds, and score for three.
Open the activity ›Rungs 6 to 10 are in the book
- 6Loss and Recovery6v6 · 12 players
- 7Press the Outlet7v5 · 12 players
- 8Counter-Press Waves4v4 · 16 players
- 9Press and Possess6v6+3 · 15 players
- 10Five-Second Game9v9 · 18 players
Build a session from it
One idea, start to finish. Change the topic next week and keep the rondo.
- Start, 10 min: Five-Second Rondo
- Middle, 20 min: Swarm and Score
- Middle, 20 min: Press to Goal
- Finish, 25 min or more: Play your normal game with one rule: win it back inside five seconds and your next goal counts double.
Keep going
Questions about counter-pressing
What is counter-pressing in soccer?
It is pressing straight after you lose the ball, while the other team is still turning. Instead of dropping back into shape, the nearest players try to win it back at once.
How long should a counter-press last?
About five seconds. Count it out loud in training. If the ball is not back by then, stop chasing and get small, so a tired press does not turn into a counter-attack against you.
What age can a team start counter-pressing?
As a rondo rule, it works from about age 9, with the ages 9 to 12 Five-Second Rondo. The U11 plan adds pressing as a unit at 9v9.
Or pick by number of players
Rungs 6 to 10 of this ladder are in the book
100 Possession Activities has all ten rungs of every theme, right up to the full game that keeps the idea alive. 115 pages and 100 animated videos, one activity per page. Print the page, watch the clip, run the session.