Pressing the back four

Press play to watch it run. Open it in Playmaker to move the players and draw it your way.

Soccer drill · Under-12 and up

Three forwards press a back four and a goalkeeper who are trying to play out. The striker curves their run to cut off the pass across the back, the pass out wide is the trigger, and all three go together. It teaches the one thing a press cannot do without: everybody going at the same moment.

Add to a session Open in Playmaker Add to a practice plan

Adding it to a session puts it on your run sheet with its time and cue. It does not use up one of your saved plays. No account? Add it to a practice plan and print the run sheet for free.

Time
15 minutes
Players
8: 3 forwards, a back four and a goalkeeper
Equipment
  • 4 cones for the scoring line
  • 1 full-size goal
  • Balls in the goal for quick restarts
  • Bibs for the forwards

Setup

  1. Use the attacking third: the full width of the pitch, from the goal line out to a line of cones about 35 yards from goal.
  2. A goalkeeper and a back four start with the ball. The goalkeeper plays it to either centre-back to start each rep.
  3. The back four score a point by dribbling the ball over the cone line under control.
  4. The front three score a goal if they win the ball and finish in the big goal. Play 60-second reps, then swap the forwards.

Coaching points

  • Curve your run. The striker approaches the centre-back from the inside, so their body blocks the pass across to the other centre-back.
  • Wait for the trigger. A pass out to the full-back, a bad touch or a player turning back towards their own goal is when you go, all three together.
  • The nearest forward presses the full-back from the inside, showing them down the line. The touchline is a fourth defender.
  • The striker slides across to cut off the pass back inside, and the far forward tucks in to take away the centre.
  • Win it and finish. A ball won high is a chance on goal, so the far forward attacks the box as soon as the press goes in.

On the run sheet: Curve your run to cut the pass across, wait for the ball to go wide, then all three go together

Progressions

  1. Add a holding midfielder for the back four to find, and a fourth presser to mark them.
  2. Count the seconds: the press must win the ball, or force a long kick, inside six seconds.
  3. Let the back four score through two gates on the cone line, so the press has to choose a side to show them.

How it runs

The keeper plays out to a centre-back, and the striker presses that centre-back with a curved run. They do not run straight at the ball. They come in from the inside so their own body blocks the pass across to the other centre-back. Now the only easy pass is out to the full-back, and that pass is the trigger. As it travels, the nearest forward goes to the full-back from the inside and shows them the touchline. The striker slides across to cut off the pass back, and the far forward tucks in to take the middle away. In the animation the full-back takes a touch down the line into trouble and the forward wins it. One touch inside, and the ball is cut back to the far forward, who has run into the box for the finish.

Run it in one-minute reps. A press is a sprint, and a tired forward who goes late is worse than one who does not go.

Why the trigger matters

A front three that runs at everything gets played through in two passes. A front three that waits for the right moment, and then goes together, wins the ball where it is worth the most: near the opponent's goal, with their defence facing the wrong way. This drill teaches that moment. Name the triggers before you start, and stop the drill when one is missed.

The mistakes to watch for

One forward pressing alone while the other two watch. Straight runs that leave the pass across wide open. Diving in at the full-back instead of slowing down to show them down the line.

More soccer drills

Put Pressing the back four in Tuesday's session

It lands on your practice plan already timed, with the coaching cue printed under it, next to your own plays.

Add to a session

Page updated · Soccer play designer · All drills

More for soccer coaches

Count your visit with our own cookie? No ad networks. What we collect