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Home/Training Drills/Pressing Drills/Individual Pressing: Closing Down
PressingBeginner

Individual Pressing: Closing Down

Pressing for beginners: close the distance fast while the ball is travelling, then slow down and get low over the last few metres so you cannot be beaten easily. Curve the run to show the attacker one way.

Create your own drill
Live animationPRS
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
40 × 30 m
Setup space
Level
Beginner
Skill required
Intensity
High
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format

Setup & instructions

Mark a 40x30m area with two gates at the defending end. A server starts with the ball, an attacker waits in the middle, and a defender starts back by the gates. The defender may only move once the pass is played. The attacker tries to dribble through either gate; the defender tries to stop him. Rotate every repetition. Coach it in two halves: the sprint while the ball travels, then the slowdown as he arrives. Most young defenders do the first part and not the second, and that is what gets them beaten. Count a success as the attacker being forced away from both gates, not just as a tackle won.

Setup time: 1 min

Tactical breakdown

Closing down has two speeds, and most young players only ever use one. They sprint the whole way, arrive at full pace, and get beaten by a simple touch to the side, because a body travelling quickly in one direction cannot change direction quickly.

The first speed is a sprint, and it happens while the ball is travelling. That distance is free. The attacker can do nothing until the ball reaches him, so every yard covered during the pass costs nothing and every yard covered after he controls it is contested. Going the moment the pass leaves the foot rather than when the attacker takes his first touch is the single largest improvement available to a young defender.

The second speed starts about three yards out. Slow down, shorten the steps, get low, arrive balanced. A defender who arrives under control does not have to win the ball. He only has to stop the attacker doing anything useful, and that alone is usually enough, because a covering teammate arrives shortly afterwards.

The curve of the approach is the last piece, and it is where individual pressing becomes team defending. Running in a straight line lets the attacker choose either side. Approaching on a curve closes one side off, which means the defender has decided where the attacker is allowed to go instead of waiting to find out.

The habit to break is diving in on arrival. Tackling is not the objective here, and a defender who commits and misses has removed himself from the play entirely, turning a contained one against one into an overload.

How to run this drill

  1. Go when the pass leaves the foot. Not when the attacker controls it. The gap between those two moments is the free distance, and it is usually several yards.
  2. Sprint while the ball is travelling. Nothing can happen until it arrives, so this ground costs nothing. Every yard left over is ground you have to fight for.
  3. Slow down three yards out. Arriving at full pace means a touch to either side beats you, because a body moving fast in one direction cannot redirect.
  4. Get low and arrive balanced. Short steps, knees bent, weight on the balls of the feet. A balanced defender can react to whichever way the attacker moves.
  5. Curve the run to show him one way. A straight approach lets him choose either side. A curve decides for him, which is the point where this becomes team defending.
  6. Delay rather than dive in. Winning the ball is not the job. Stopping him doing anything useful for three seconds until cover arrives usually is.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Go the moment the pass leaves the foot, not when the attacker controls it
  • Sprint while the ball is travelling, that distance is free
  • Slow down over the last few metres, arriving out of control means beaten
  • Get low, bend the knees, weight on the balls of the feet
  • Approach on a curve so you show him one way and close the other
  • Be patient, delaying him is a success, you do not have to tackle

Common mistakes

  • Sprinting all the way in and running straight past the attacker
  • Waiting for the attacker to control it before setting off
  • Standing up tall on arrival with weight on the heels
  • Approaching square on, which leaves both sides open
  • Diving in for the tackle when delaying would have done the job

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a second attacker so the defender has to choose who to press
  • Make the gates wider apart so the curve of the run matters more
  • Let the attacker pass back to the server and press again
  • Add a second defender and coach press plus cover

Regressions

  • Start the defender closer so there is less ground to cover
  • Slow the attacker to a walk so the approach can be shaped properly
  • Take a gate away so the defender only has one side to protect
  • Freeze the picture as the defender arrives and check his body shape
Equipment
Cones×4
Markers×1
Tactical principles
closing down drillindividual pressingpressing basicsdefending one v oneapproach speedcurved pressing runshowing the attacker one wayyouth defending drillu9 defending drilljockeying
Audience
U9-U10

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