Get Better Quicker by Passing Under Pressure

We’ve all been at matches where your player has the ball in an important area, he looks up only to see an opponent bearing down on him and he is powerless to keep hold of the ball. You need to prepare him, says David Clarke.

The importance of passing under pressure

One of the most important things to teach your players is passing the ball when they are under pressure from opponents. Crucial passes occur throughout matches when either your defence is under pressure or your attackers are advancing on goal needing a good pass to beat the defenders. In both cases the player under pressure can help his team with a good pass. If the pressing player forces a mistake, your team is either in danger of losing a goal from a defensive error or your goal scoring opportunity is wasted.

Circles can help pressure passing

This exercise is a good one for passing under pressure and it gives you a chance to show your defenders how to force the passing player into a mistake.

1. Mark out two circles as in the diagram. Place a target player in the small centre circle and three defenders inside the bigger circle.

2. Arrange the rest of your players as attackers around the outside of the bigger circle.

3. The attackers start with the ball and they have to pass the ball to the player in the centre without the defenders getting it. This player cannot move outside his circle.

4. The defenders must try to intercept the ball. They have to pressure the passer.

GIVE YOUR PLAYERS TARGETS TO AIM FOR, LIKE THREE PASSES BEFORE THE ATTACKERS CAN PASS INTO THE CENTRE, OR CHANGE THE NUMBERS OF DEFENDERS