Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Receiving/Playing Under Pressure + Creating Overloads to Reduce Pressure

Applying Pressure to the ball - 'React & Press' (Work:Rest 2:1) (10 mins)

Description:

This exercise is designed to help players take their first touch out of pressure and into space in a more realistic scenario of being pressed by an opposition player. It will challenge players receiving the pass to be aware of where they are receiving the pass from and how to position their body to take a touch away from the defender and into space. It will also challenge teammates to communicate who the pressing player should be. (The first pass starts from the center of the area and then play continues) Player 1 passes across the grid and presses the player with the ball, player 2 upon receiving the pass takes a touch on their back foot and can play a pass to their left or right, once the pass is played the player on the opposite side of the receiver will always press the ball. After each pass follow your pass and after each press, follow your press.

Technique(s):
Scanning - are players checking to their left or right as the ball is in play to identify where the next pass/press is coming from to proactively position themselves to take a positive first touch?

Receiving - are players able to take their first away from the press? (Consider body shape, hips open or closed, back foot, active on toes, first touch)
Passing - are players using the instep to play an accurate pass to teammates feet? (Consider body shape, hips open or closed, follow through, contact point on ball)

Pressing - are players applying pressure to the ball to affect the first touch of receiving player? (acceleration, point of deceleration, angle of press, distance to engage)

Measurements:

Use an 8M x 8M square to allow for slightly longer passes than the previous exercise (increase ball speed) and accurate passing for players to still focus on technical aspects of passing, and technical aspects of pressing. Adjust accordingly.

Adaptations (Progressions & Regressions):

Progression 1
Players press only passively.

Progression 2
Allow players to press to win the ball instead of passive defending to make it more game like in applying the skill or must only take max 2 touches.

Regression
Increase the space between the mannequins or cones to allow the players more time before being pressed. 

Considerations:

To maximise the effectiveness of this exercise we must ensure the intensity of the press is high so players can emulate playing under pressure, adjust the distance between cones to be shorter to maximise repetition of exercise and/or shorten the length of working time to rest time if necessary.

Training Game - 'Four Quater Football' (Overloads to play forwards) (35 mins)

Description:

This training game is designed to help players combine techniques and apply them in a game simulation. The pitch is divided into quarters to encourage players to use overloads as well as learned techniques to play out of pressure and advance the ball forwards. The defending team can only have two players press in a quarter that the ball is in, while attacking team is free to move anywhere (but encouraged to make each quarter minimum 3v2). If the defending teams win possession and score in mini goal swap the team that starts in possession.

Technique(s):
Mobility - are players utilising overlaps, underlaps, 3rd man runs, double movements etc to create overloads to allow their team to play forwards or out of pressure?

Support - are players on the outside constantly active to provide a supporting angle for the player under pressure to find an outlet?

Scanning - are players checking to their left or right or over shoulder as the ball is in play to identify where the next pass/press is coming from to proactively position themselves to take a positive first touch?
Passing - are players using the instep to play an accurate pass to teammates feet? (Consider body shape, hips open or closed, follow through, contact point on ball)

Receiving - are players able to take their first touch forwards to avoid press? (Consider body shape, hips open or closed, back foot, active on toes, first touch)

Pressing - are players applying pressure to the ball to affect the first touch of receiving player? (acceleration, point of deceleration, angle of press, distance to engage)

Measurements:

Use a half pitch area and divide the pitch into quaters up until the 18-yard box.

Adaptations (Progressions & Regressions):

If there is a lot of success, transition into a normal 8v7 game, if players are having moderate success slowly increase the number of players allowed to press in each quarter, if there is little to no success keep at 2 players pressing per grid.