Playing Out Under Pressure | Decision-Making Training in Tight Spaces

Overview

• Players high school age and up
• Teams that regularly play out from the back
• Teams that want to sharpen decision-making under pressure

Objectives

• Sharpen the decisions your players make when they build out from the keeper and the opponent presses
• Build the ability to keep hitting accurate passes even while taking pressure
• Tighten up the link between your center backs, midfielders, and fullbacks
• Speed up how quickly players spot the best passing lane when time is short

Setup

You’re building out from the keeper while putting the receiver under real pressure, so players sharpen both their decisions and how cleanly they execute them.

1）Set up groups of 6 (1 GK, 3 defenders, 2 midfielders). Field size is roughly 30m wide by 60m long.

2）Start with the keeper on the ball, playing a pass into a center back.

3）The moment the CB takes it, an opposing forward closes him down.

4）The CB reads it quickly and plays into the central midfielder (CM) or the right back (RB).

5）The CB, CM, and RB work together to break the defensive line and move the ball forward.