Annual training plan · U14–U23

Week 18: Training the High Press

3 complete training sessions with 12 drills – created by licensed coaches. Open every drill in the easy2coach web app with one click.

This week’s focus

Playing a high press demands a lot of running and involves a certain risk, because there is a lot of space in behind the defence.

But putting the opponent under pressure immediately after they play out from the back also has some advantages. When the ball is won, the path to the opponents' goal is no longer long, and the opponent has less time to get back into a compact shape. In addition, the opponent has little time for a controlled build-up, which often forces them into uncontrolled clearances or drags them into duels deep in their own half.

But the intensity of carrying out a high press should not be underestimated, which is why it makes sense to use it only in certain situations.

For example, right at the start of the match or when a deficit has to be overturned. But the situational high press is also an option in certain match situations:

  • An opposing defender receives the ball with his back to the direction of play.
  • A lofted ball has to be controlled, e.g. a high ball from a centre-back to the far-side full-back.
  • An imprecise pass in the build-up.
  • The opponent has a throw-in in their own half.

If the press is applied continuously over a certain period, a distinction can be made between the steering high press and the high press on a target player.

Author Luis Österlein

Session 1

4 drills

Today's training session will be about the situational high press. The players should not only work on executing the high press, but also develop a feel for the match situations in which it makes sense.

In Exercise 4, team Blue should operate from a compact midfield press and lie in wait for mistakes and match situations that lend themselves to a high press. Make sure the execution is intensive. The player on the ball is closed down at top speed and the ball-side passing options are shut off immediately.

The press can only be effective if the players in the 2nd and 3rd lines work just as actively and push up towards the ball and the opponents. This prevents an opponent further up the pitch from turning if the high press is broken with a pass.

Coaching points for this session

Favourable conditions for a situational high press:

  • Throw-in in the opposition half
  • Sloppy pass in the build-up
  • Opponent is playing with their back to goal
  • Lofted ball

Execution:

  • Close down at high speed
  • Create an overload near the ball
  • Cut off passing options near the ball, including the goalkeeper if necessary
  • Block forward passing lanes
  • After a successful back pass, do not push up too far, so as to be able to deal with a possible clearance
Drill 1

Pressing Variation: Tag Game

15 minSide length: the number of all players times two, in metres
  • The two catchers try to catch another player by steering that player into the corners towards another catcher.
  • The players who have been caught leave the area.
  • Whoever is caught last wins the round.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: A square area whose side length depends on the number of players.

Equipment: Cones to mark the area.

Players: One catching team of two players; with a larger training group, two or more catching teams are formed.

Coaching points
  • Insist on enough communication within the catching team.
Drill 2

Overload Game to a Central Target Player

20 minBig square 15 x 15 metres, small square 4 x 4 metres
  • One player from Yellow operates exclusively in the middle area, the remaining players outside the inner area.
  • Yellow gets a point for every one-two played with the central player.
  • Blue gets a point after the team has played five passes in a row.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four red cones lay out the big square, four yellow ones the small square in the middle.

Equipment: 8 cones and several balls.

Players: The teams are set up for a 7 vs 4.

Coaching points
  • Attack Yellow actively when the player in possession has to operate with the back to the inner area.
  • Otherwise stay compact and close the passing lanes into the inner area.
Drill 3

Special Drills: Sprint Training

20 min10 metres long, 50 metres wide

The following special drills for sprint training are completed:

  • Fast feet over 10 metres
  • Tuck jumps with both feet together over 10 metres
  • Heading over 10 metres
  • Sprint after a half turn over 10 metres
  • Sprint out of a jog over 30 metres
  • Sprint out of skipping over 30 metres
  • Sprint after high knees over 30 metres
  • Sprint after short backward steps and a half turn over 30 metres
  • Sprint after running backwards and a half turn over 10 metres
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Eight cones mark the sprint distances.

Equipment: 8 cones.

Coaching points
  • Build in enough recovery breaks.
Drill 4

High Press

20 minThree quarters of the pitch.

Team Yellow plays on the three mini goals. Team Blue wins the ball with a situational high press and counters on the full-size goal.

If Team Blue wins the ball in the opposition half and then scores a goal, that goal counts triple.

Variations: If Team Blue wins the ball in one of the two outer longitudinal zones and then scores a goal, that goal counts triple.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Three quarters of the pitch, marked out with cones and divided into three longitudinal zones.

Equipment: 3 mini goals, 1 full-size goal, cones to mark the pitch, bibs, several balls.

Players: Two teams, Team Yellow and Team Blue. The full-size goal has a goalkeeper in it.

Coaching points
  • Watch how the player closest to the ball closes the opponent down.
  • Insist that the players coach each other.
  • Stop pressure situations and explain them.
  • Watch out for continuous running intensity.
The complete session as a ready-made training plan – with animated drills in the web app. Go to the web app

Session 2

4 drills

Today's training session ends with 2 small-sided games, each lasting 25 minutes. In the previous training session, the players were already introduced to the situational high press. Today the players operate in a high press the whole time.

Make sure the high press is executed intensively – close down at high speed, already anticipate the next pass, everyone shifts across compactly and towards the ball.

As operating in a high press involves a great deal of running, you can keep interrupting the small-sided games to make corrections or to have active recovery exercises carried out.

Coaching points for this session
  • Close down at high speed
  • Anticipate passes
  • Keep the opponent under constant pressure so that they have no time for purposeful actions
  • Stay tight to the opponent in the 2nd line too
Drill 1

Running Technique Drills + Coordination

15 min
  • The players carry out various running drills — once in a zigzag around the cones and once straight ahead through the agility ladders.
  • They jog back.

Possible running drills:

  • Skipping
  • Heel flicks
  • Bounce hops
  • Skipping run
  • High-knee run
  • Crossover steps
  • Bounding run
  • Stork walk
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones and agility ladders as shown in the graphic.

Equipment: Cones and agility ladders.

Coaching points
  • Increase the pace slowly.
  • Watch for a high quality of execution.
  • Later on, also bring a ball into the drill.
Drill 2

1 vs 1 After a Sprint as a Team Competition

20 min16 to 20 metres; about a 10-metre sprint to the respective cone
  • On the coach's command, the first two players of both teams set off around the pole on their right-hand side.
  • The player facing the goal tries to get past the opposing player with a running feint in order to sprint through one of the two outer cone goals.
  • If that works, the player may shoot at goal; for this the coach always places a ball on the line behind the rectangle.
  • If the opponent tags the player, the defender may shoot at goal.

Variations: The players sprint from the starting cone around the corners again. Now the coach plays the ball firmly to the player running around the back line. That player tries to get past the defender in a 1 vs 1; the winner of the duel may shoot at goal.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four poles and four cones mark the start and the cone goals; plus one goal.

Equipment: 4 poles, 4 cones, 1 goal and several balls.

Players: Two teams.

Coaching points
  • Run around the poles by the shortest route and not in an arc.
  • Beat the defender with running and body feints.
Drill 3

Non-Stop Pressing

25 min50 x 25 metres
  • When the opposition has the ball, both teams apply an unconditional high press.
  • The player in possession must be put under pressure permanently.
  • The halfway line counts as the offside line.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Tall cones mark the halfway line; there are two goals at the ends.

Equipment: 2 goals, tall cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams of equal size plus two goalkeepers.

Coaching points
  • Defend in a ball-oriented way.
  • Put the opponent in possession under pressure permanently.
  • Cut off and block further passing options.
Drill 4

High Press in a 6 vs 6

25 min50 x 25 metres
  • The goalkeeper starts the play with a pass to one of the two centre-backs.
  • The attackers are to either pass into a mini goal or dribble over one of the dribbling lines.
  • The defenders are to win the ball with a high press and then attack the goal with the goalkeeper in it.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four tall cones mark the dribbling goals; plus three mini goals and one full-size goal.

Equipment: 4 tall cones, 3 mini goals, 1 goal and several balls.

Players: Two teams of six plus one goalkeeper.

Coaching points
  • As soon as the play has been started, close the opponent down at high speed.
  • In doing so, steer the build-up deliberately towards the outside.
  • Create an overload near the ball.

Session 3

4 drills

In the third and last training session on the high press, the aim will be to deliberately steer the opponent out wide.

If, for example, we assume both teams play a 4-4-2, the opponent is given so much space that they start the build-up short. As soon as the goalkeeper plays the ball to the centre-back, things have to happen quickly.

The ball-side striker closes down the centre-back with a curved run, to provoke a pass to the ball-side full-back. The far-side striker positions themselves so that they can get to the 2nd centre-back and the goalkeeper if the centre-back in possession cuts.

If the pass is now played to the ball-side full-back, the wide player must already be ready to pounce, so as to be on the opponent after the 1st touch at the latest. However, the wide player must not get to the full-back too early either, so that the gap to the neighbouring player does not become too big.

The remaining 3 players in the midfield line shift across towards the ball. The central midfielders provide overlapping cover on their opponents. The ball-side full-back of the defending team must also push up close enough to the opposing winger. But not too tight, so that the winger cannot break free in behind the full-back.

Coaching points for this session
  • Close down at high speed
  • Block passing options near the ball
  • In the 2nd and 3rd lines too, move in a ball-orientated way and get tight to the opponents near the ball
  • The far side tucks in and covers
Drill 1

Passing with Coordination II

15 min
  • The drill starts with passing using two touches.
  • The level of difficulty is then increased: a tennis ball comes into play.
  • Player 1 passes the football, Player 2 throws the tennis ball at the same time.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark the positions; the distance depends on the ability level of the players.

Equipment: Cones, footballs and tennis balls.

Players: Two players per station.

Coaching points
  • Make sure that the players drop back slightly again after every pass in order to move towards the next pass.
  • If the players carry out the task, demand a higher tempo in the passing.
Drill 2

1 vs 1 After a Pass from the Half-Pitch

20 minHalf a pitch
  • A pass is played from the yellow cone to the attacker, who takes the ball forward into the 1 vs 1.
  • The blue cone serves as a reference for the full-back, who steps out as the pass is played.
  • The defender blocks the inside lane, retreats slowly and steers the attacker towards the outside.
  • After winning the ball, the defender counters on the cone goal.
  • The attacker may only play forwards.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Red cones mark the pitch and the cone goals and limit the playing space towards the middle. Two yellow cones at the centre circle serve as starting points, two blue cones on the halfway line as a reference for the full-back.

Equipment: Cones in three colours, 1 goal and several balls.

Players: The attackers wait with the balls at the yellow starting cones, the defenders stand in their own bib colour at the sides and in front of the penalty area; there is also a goalkeeper.

Coaching points
  • The defender lowers the centre of gravity.
  • The defender takes up a position slightly offset to the inside of the attacker.
  • If the attacker tries to break through, the defender puts the body between the ball and the opponent.
Drill 3

High Press on the Wing in 4 vs 4

25 min
  • The drill starts with the goalkeeper, who passes or throws the ball to the right centre-back.
  • This player passes the ball on to the left centre-back. This sequence is fixed; after that the game is free.
  • Blue 1 presses the left centre-back on a curved run in order to prevent a pass back to the right centre-back. This pressing angle allows Blue 2 to move into the centre and create a 4 vs 3 overload.
  • When the ball is won, a quick counter follows on the full-size goal with a finish. Yellow, for its part, plays towards the two mini goals.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: A line of cones marks off the pitch diagonally from the penalty area to the halfway line. At one end there is the full-size goal with a goalkeeper, at the opposite end two mini goals level with the halfway line.

Equipment: 1 goal, 2 mini goals, cones and 1 ball.

Players: Two teams of four players each in their own colour of bibs, plus one goalkeeper.

Coaching points
  • Demand mutual coaching — pressure, get in, cut off.
  • Watch out for correct pressing angles: close down the passing lanes.
  • Blue 3 has to push out onto the full-back in good time, without opening up the passing lane in behind.
  • Whenever cover is in place, always go into the duel actively.
  • Watch out for correct defensive behaviour on the wing.
Drill 4

High Press with 6 vs 6

25 minThree quarters of the full-size pitch
  • The game is played freely as 6 vs 6.
  • Team Yellow attacks the three mini goals; Team Blue is to win the ball through pressing and finish on the goal with the goalkeeper.
  • There is an additional point if Yellow plays through the passing gate and then converts the ball safely.
  • The additional goal in the middle means that Blue has to defend high and deliberately steer the opponents out wide in order to create a numerical advantage there.

Variations: Instead of the passing gate in the middle, a dribbling gate is set up.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Two tall cones form a passing gate in the centre of the pitch; plus three mini goals and one full-size goal.

Equipment: 3 mini goals, 1 goal, 2 tall cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams of six — Yellow and Blue — plus one goalkeeper.

Coaching points
  • The striker closest to the ball approaches in a curved run.
  • The striker furthest from the ball anticipates the back pass to the goalkeeper.
  • As the pass is played, the right-sided wide player closes down a yellow full-back.
  • The remaining players shift across towards the ball and orientate themselves on the opponents.
  • Press at high speed.
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