Football Drills & Trainingby Play 2 Earn Sports

Football pressing drills:99 you can watch in 3D

Pressing is hard to explain with cones and a whistle. Show your players the trigger, the angle and the cover, then run it.

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
See all 99 pressing drills in the app
The sample drill Slow Pass Means Go: six players on a green pitch.
Try itSlow Pass Means Go

Drag a player, then press play. These are sample names: sign in and your real roster imports automatically. Try your own names, numbers and kit.

These pressing drills start at U12 and run through to adult teams. They cover when to go, which way to show the ball, who covers and how a whole team moves together. Here are a few to look at. The app has all 99, each one playing in 3D with its full set-up and steps.

8 of 99

Press the Passer: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U12

Press the Passer

8 min · 7 players

Two defenders try to win the ball within six seconds.

  • Sprint to the ball
  • Curve the run to cut the pass
Press on the Back Pass: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U14

Press on the Back Pass

8 min · 9 players

Press the back pass in a 4v4 game.

  • Press the back pass
  • Lock on to the receiver
Win It Back in the Central Zone: 13 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U14

Win It Back in the Central Zone

8 min · 13 players

Lose the ball in the central zone, then win it back straight away.

  • React to the loss
  • Press as a unit
Press with Cover Shadow: 8 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U14

Press with Cover Shadow

8 min · 8 players

Press the ball while a teammate blocks the passing lane.

  • Press from the front
  • Cover the passing lane
High Press 3v3 vs Goalkeeper: 8 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U12

High Press 3v3 vs Goalkeeper

8 min · 8 players

High press the goalkeeper building out in a 3v3.

  • Press on the trigger
  • Lock on to the receiver
Whole-Team Jump on the Back Pass: 8 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U16

Whole-Team Jump on the Back Pass

18 min · 8 players

Wait for the back pass, then jump the whole team forward and win the ball high in the 4v4.

  • The trigger is the back pass: the moment it goes backwards, four players step forward together
  • Press the receiving player from their blind side so they cannot turn and play forward
Hunt the Backward Ball: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. Adult

Hunt the Backward Ball

18 min · 9 players

Treat every ball played towards the own goal as the signal to jump, with a fifth player covering the midfield outlet.

  • The back pass is the trigger, so the nearest forward sprints as soon as the receiver's body opens towards their own goal
  • Arrive on a curve that lets the receiver go only further back towards the centre-back
Counter-Press the Middle, Then Go: 8 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U16

Counter-Press the Middle, Then Go

18 min · 8 players

Counter-press the central zone straight after losing the ball and turn the regain into an attack.

  • The three nearest players counter-press the ball at once, one at the ball and two closing the escape passes
  • Do not drop back after the loss; the first three seconds are when the ball is easiest to win

91 more pressing drills are in the app, each playing in 3D with the full set-up and steps.

See all 99 pressing drills in the app

What to coach in a press

The trigger

A slow pass, a bad touch or a player facing their own goal. Agree one trigger and press on it together.

The angle

Close on a curve so the ball can only go one way, usually towards the sideline.

The cover

The nearest teammate drops goal-side at an angle, ready to take over if the ball gets past the first player.

Choosing by age

U12

One player presses and one covers, in small areas, so the idea stays simple.

U14 and U16

Press in twos and threes, with a clear trigger and a target for when the ball is won.

U18 and adult

Whole-team shape: when to jump, who steps up and how to counter-press after losing the ball.

Questions

How many pressing drills are in the app?

99, for U12 up to adult teams. Younger groups do better with 1v1 and defending drills first.

Can I put my own team on a drill?

Yes, if you are club staff on Play 2 Earn Sports: your players' names go on the drill. Anyone can change the speed and camera view. Try it on this page with the sample drill.

Do I need to sign up to try it?

Not to try the sample drill on this page. Saving a drill starts with a sign-up.

See all 99 pressing drills in the app

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
About the football drills app