How to PRESS the ball | Catalan Masterclass

Summary

In this instructional video from Catalan soccer.com, BEN coaches youth soccer players on the art of pressing. He outlines the individual roles for strikers, midfielders, and defenders, emphasizing the importance of timing and positioning. The video teaches how to force predictable play, apply pressure effectively, and recover if initial pressing fails. BEN also discusses the nuances of pressing different player positions and the importance of collective effort in pressing as a team strategy.

Takeaways

• 🔴 The importance of individual roles in pressing is emphasized, with each player's role on the field being crucial for effective pressing.
• 🤾‍♂️ Strikers should press high up the pitch to engage the press and force the play, aiming to make it more predictable rather than necessarily winning the ball.
• 🛡️ Defenders act as a cover, providing a second line of defense if the midfield press is bypassed, ensuring the team is not left exposed.
• 🔄 Midfielders support strikers by intercepting passes or winning the ball back in areas where the play has been forced by the striker's press.
• 🏟️ Pressing players are expected to force mistakes, predictability, and ultimately win the ball back, with timing and coordination being key.
• ⏱️ Timing the pressure correctly is crucial; players must press at the right moments to maximize the effectiveness of their efforts.
• 📍 The distance maintained while pressing should be optimal, typically four or five strides, to ensure a balance between pressuring the opponent and being ready to react if the ball is played past.
• 👀 Players should be aware of when and where to apply pressure, with different strategies for goalkeepers, defenders, and midfielders.
• 📉 Pressing the goalkeeper is risky and should only be done if there's a high chance of winning the ball, as opposed to pressing defenders who should focus on reducing passing options.
• 🔄 Midfielders should apply intense pressure to win the ball back quickly, especially before it enters the final third of the field.
• 📋 Coaches are advised to use tactics boards and role plays to teach players their individual pressing roles and responsibilities.

Q & A

What is the primary role of strikers when pressing in soccer?

Strikers should press the ball as high up the pitch as possible to engage the press. They are not expected to win the ball but to force the play and make it more predictable.

What is the midfielder's role in supporting the striker during a press?

Midfielders should backup the striker, trying to intercept passes or win the ball back based on where the opponent has been forced to play the ball.

How should defenders position themselves during a press?

Defenders should act as a cover if the midfield is bypassed. They are the second line of defense, ready to intercept long passes or quick plays through the middle.

What are the expectations for pressing players in soccer?

Pressing players should aim to force mistakes, force the player into more predictable areas, and ultimately win the ball back. They should apply pressure quickly to disrupt the opponent's play.

How can a striker force a player into a predictable area during a press?

A striker can curve their run to cut off passes to certain areas, forcing the opponent down a specific side of the pitch, making it easier for teammates to press and win the ball.

What is the importance of timing in pressing the ball?

Proper timing ensures that the right players are doing their jobs at the right time. It involves coordinating the efforts of strikers, midfielders, and defenders to effectively press the ball.

What is the recommended distance for pressing players to maintain from the opponent?

The optimum distance for pressing players is usually four or five strides, allowing them to reach the ball by the time the opponent takes their first touch while also being far enough to avoid being easily beaten.

Why is pressing the goalkeeper considered risky?

Pressing the goalkeeper is risky because it often gives little reward. It's recommended only if the goalkeeper is under pressure and there's a high likelihood of winning the ball.

How should midfielders apply pressure when the ball is in the final third?

Midfielders should apply intense pressure in the final third to win the ball back quickly and prevent the ball from reaching the opponent's strikers.

What is the advice for defenders when applying pressure to the ball?

Defenders should apply cautious pressure, understanding when to delay and slow down the attack. They should not press the ball if they are outnumbered and should focus on reducing the opponent's passing options.

How can coaches effectively teach pressing to their players?

Coaches can start with simple scenarios like an oppositional goal kick, walk through each player's roles, and conduct role plays to ensure every player understands their job in the press.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Coaching Youth Soccer: Pressing Techniques

This segment focuses on instructing young soccer players on effective pressing techniques. It emphasizes the importance of understanding individual roles in pressing, such as strikers engaging the press high up the pitch, midfielders supporting strikers to intercept passes, and defenders covering as a second line of defense. The video explains the expectations of pressing players, which include forcing mistakes, directing the opponent's play into predictable areas, and ultimately winning the ball back. Timing and distance in applying pressure are also discussed, highlighting the need for a balance between being close enough to challenge for the ball and far enough to avoid being beaten by a faster opponent.

05:01

😀 Advanced Pressing Strategies in Soccer

The second paragraph delves into advanced pressing strategies, discussing when and how to press different positions on the field. It advises against pressing the goalkeeper unless there's a high chance of winning the ball. For defenders, a passive press is recommended to limit passing options rather than actively engaging. Midfielders, on the other hand, should apply intense pressure to win the ball back quickly. The segment also touches on cautious pressure, especially for defenders, emphasizing the importance of not pressing if outnumbered and instead focusing on delaying the attack. The video concludes with practical coaching advice, suggesting starting with structured drills like goal kicks to teach pressing positions and roles, and then progressing to in-game situations to reinforce these concepts.

Keywords

💡Pressing

Pressing in soccer refers to the tactic of applying immediate and aggressive pressure on the opposing team's player in possession of the ball. The goal is to win the ball back quickly or force the opponent into making a mistake. In the video, pressing is the central theme, with various strategies discussed for different player positions, such as strikers pressing high up the pitch and midfielders supporting to intercept passes.

💡Engaging the Press

Engaging the press is the initial phase of pressing where a player, typically a striker, moves to challenge the ball as close to the opponent's goal as possible. This action aims to force the opponent into making a predictable play. The video script mentions that the first player in the press is not expected to win the ball but to make the play predictable.

💡Midfielder

In soccer, a midfielder is a player who plays in the central area of the field and connects the defense and attack. The video emphasizes the midfielder's role in supporting the striker during pressing, looking to intercept passes or win the ball back after the striker has forced the play wide.

💡Defender

A defender in soccer is a player who primarily prevents the opposing team from scoring. The video script discusses the defender's role in pressing as providing cover if the midfield press is bypassed, acting as a second line of defense to prevent the ball from going behind them easily.

💡Force Play

Force play is a pressing strategy where a player forces the opponent to play the ball in a certain direction or area, making the play more predictable. The video uses the example of a striker pressing a center-back to illustrate how to force the play down the right-hand side of the pitch.

💡Engaging the Ball

Engaging the ball is the second phase of pressing where a player arrives quickly to challenge the first touch of the opponent receiving the ball. The video stresses the importance of timing and arriving at the right moment to prevent the opponent from having too much time or space to make their next move.

💡Back Up and Cover

Back up and cover is the final phase of pressing where, if the initial press is unsuccessful, defensive players step in to cover and prevent the ball from going behind the defense. The video highlights the importance of this phase to avoid being exposed and allowing the opponent an easy attack.

💡Timing and Distance

Timing and distance are crucial elements in pressing. The video explains that pressing players should maintain an optimal distance of four or five strides from the opponent to be able to challenge the first touch but also be far enough not to be beaten if the opponent tries to play the ball behind them.

💡Passive Press

A passive press is a defensive strategy where a player does not actively engage the ball but instead tries to force the opponent into a less threatening area or reduce their passing options. The video script uses the context of pressing defenders to explain this concept, suggesting that they should not actively press but rather delay and slow down the attack.

💡Cautious Pressure

Cautious pressure is a defensive tactic where a player applies pressure in a controlled manner, avoiding overcommitting and risking being beaten. The video mentions that defenders should apply cautious pressure, especially when they are not outnumbered, to try and win the ball back without leaving the defense exposed.

💡Tactics Board

A tactics board is a tool used by coaches to visually demonstrate and explain strategies and formations to players. The video suggests using a tactics board to walk players through their individual roles in pressing and to ensure they understand their responsibilities as part of the team's pressing system.

Highlights

Coaching kids on how to press effectively in soccer.

Individual roles in pressing: strikers, midfielders, and defenders.

Strikers should press high up the pitch to engage and force predictable play.

Midfielders' role is to back up strikers and intercept passes.

Defenders act as a cover if the midfield is bypassed.

Pressing players should force mistakes by applying quick pressure.

The importance of forcing the opponent into predictable areas.

The ultimate goal of pressing is to win the ball back.

Timing the pressure correctly to ensure effectiveness.

Three phases of pressing: force play, engage the ball, and backup and cover.

Optimum distance for pressing is four or five strides from the ball.

When to press the goalkeeper and the risks involved.

Applying passive press on defenders to reduce passing options.

Midfielders should apply intense pressure to win the ball back quickly.

Defenders should apply cautious pressure, especially when outnumbered.

Teaching pressing through role plays and drills.

Activating the press during goal kicks to reset and restructure.

Invitation for feedback and requests for more detailed videos on pressing.

Transcripts

hi guys is Catalan BEN from Catalan soccer.com and today we're going to

take you through the best ways to coach your kids how to press in this video

we're going to take you through individual roles what is expected of

pressing players and how to time that pressure to make sure it's most

effective individual roles now it's really important for kids to understand

who applies pressure to which person on the opponent's team so let's go into

that now first of all your strikers imagine you're you've got a team that's

taking a goal kick and you are trying to press him win the ball back from them

the first job is for strikers to go and press the ball as high up the pitch as

possible that's called engaging the press now

it's important that kids understand that the first man in the press is not

expected to go win the ball what he is expected to do is try and force the play

and make it more predictable but make sure that kids understand if they are

going to press the ball as a striker and they don't win it they can still be

doing a great job now the role of the midfielder is to backup the striker and

try to intercept passes or win the ball back based on where the player has been

forced if a striker tries to get the ball to be forced wide then those

midfielders are going to win it in that wide area and hopefully start a

counter-attack now the role of the defenders is to be a cover if the

midfield is bypassed so often when you go to start the press the ball will be

played beyond you from a long pass or from a quick passing play through the

middle if that happens your defensive players are then there is a backup to go

in the ball as a second line of defense now the expectations for pressing

players this is really important because a lot of kids do not understand exactly

what they're trying to do when they press the ball now the first part of

applying pressure is to try and force mistakes so although your players may

not actually get a touch on the ball if they put them under severe pressure and

do it quickly they can force mistakes through misplaced passes through bad

touches or maybe even kicking the ball out of play

the second job for a play that's trying to press the ball or a team that's

trying to press the ball is to force the player into more predictable areas by

making the other team play more predictably this can help you win the

ball back and make it much easier to get men around the ball for example if your

striker is going to press a centre-back instead of running straight at the ball

and straight at the man he can curve his run to cut off the pass to his

as its centre-back that will force the player down the right hand side and that

right hand side is then easier for the other kids to try and press and win the

ball back as a unit the final part to applying pressure is

to ultimately win the ball but we are forcing the play and we are making the

play more predictable we are giving ourselves a much better chance to

actually win the ball back now the next stage of pressing the ball is timing the

pressure and making sure that we get the right players doing their right jobs at

the right time now we need to go through all three phases to the present so the

first phase is the force play this is usually the place that highest up the

pitch offered a striker that are going to go and press the ball and try and

force player to be more predictable in this example we'll we'll use a

striker going to press the ball between two Center backs that's going to force

the player down the left-hand side of the pitch when the ball is forced down

the left this allows the midfielders that are backing him up and trying to

help win the ball start the second phase the second phase being engaging the ball

now the second phase of engaging the ball it's really important that we

arrive at the right time and we get there quickly we want to try and press

the first touch of those players and when the ball is being received we don't

want them to have too much space in too much time to pick their next pass final

phase comes in if your press has been unsuccessful

if the other team have done a really good job and played through your press

or they've taken a shortcut and played over your press then back up and cover

is really important this final phase comes from defensive players who were

there as that second line of defense to make sure that if our press has been

unsuccessful we are not then exposed and the ball can't go in behind it too

easily so when the ball goes further forward towards the opponent strikers

that's where defenders and defensive midfielders step in to try and win the

ball as well now timing and distance are really important as part of our press if

our pressing players take a listen to Klaus and Mark really tight to a man

that's not yet got the ball it can be dangerous the ball could go and behind

them and they can lose the race in behind especially if that opposing

player is faster than them the other danger that we have is if our press is

too loose and if we mark players well we give them say for instance 10 yards

between you in the ball by the time the ball gets to him he's going to take a

touch get his head up and pick his next pass then you will arrive at the ball

and that is too late and too slow the optimum distance is

usually four or five strides if this ball now travels in to that player you

are close enough to make sure you can get to the ball by the time he takes his

first touch but you are far away enough and you've got a big enough head start

if it turns into a race and that same player tries to run it in behind you now

the next part we're going to look at is who to pressure and how to press players

in certain areas a lot of kids and a lot of coaches think that pressing the ball

is simply running at the ball as fast as you can there's actually a lot more

detail so we need to break it down now to make sure we know how to press and

who to press in what ways the goalkeeper now pressing the opponent's goalkeeper

can be very risky and often give you very little reward I would only

recommend actually pressing the goalkeeper if you know that the

goalkeeper is under pressure it's taken about touch and you've got a high

likelihood of actually winning the ball from him if the keeper has the ball

under good control and has a lot of space in time I would not recommend

trying to press the keeper all that will happen is the ball will get played

beyond you and you will end up out of the game when pressing defenders what we

do here we called a passive press it's not a press where we really try and go

and engage the ball high up the pitch what we are trying to do is force that

defender to play the ball into a certain area or to make sure that when the

defender has the ball they have a reduced number of passing options so

trying to cut out passing lines and make sure the defender can easily play

forward to midfielder midfielders now midfielders should apply intense

pressure this is high pressure to win the ball back quickly and make sure that

we get as many numbers around the ball as possible to make sure that we win the

ball before it gets into the final third once the balls in that final third

that's when we're really in trouble so the intense pressure from the

midfielders is very important try and make sure that the kids who are putting

in that midfield area a high energy and got intensity to their game to make sure

they can win it back now defenders how do defenders apply pressure to the ball

everybody knows about the Vergil Van Dyke's that about not getting dribble

pass for so many games in a row and that was incredible but at the same time it's

because he knows how to apply cautious pressure and that's really important

ders to understand young edge now cautious pressure comes in lots of

different ways but it's very important kids understand this first of all do not

press the ball if you are outnumbered trying delay and slow down the attack

now as a defender if you find yourself in a woman be one situation and you

aren't outnumbered that's when we can apply that intense pressure and try and

win them all back with their tactics and demos go through on a tactics board each

plays individual role and how you want them to press start with something

really simple like an oppositional goal kick an opposition goal kick we know

where our players are going to be where their players are going to be and that

gives you a really solid foundation to start teaching a pressing position from

walk through each players roles and play out a few role plays to make sure every

player understands their job as part of their press remember although everybody

has individual responsibilities this is a team press so we have to do all our

jobs together game play now play out a normal match work during that game

anytime the ball goes out of play say for instance for a goal kick then

you activate that press the reality is that during the game kids are going to

get lost going to get into different positions and that pressing nature that

they've tried to give a structure to it's going to fall apart that's gonna

happen as the ball moves but once the ball goes out that's a great time to

reset and get our press set from the beginning and go again thanks for

watching this video guys we hope you found it really useful and if you'd like

to see any more information on pressing in more detail please give us a shout

out in the comments below we'd love to make another video for you guys and help

you on your coaching journey don't forget to subscribe to our Channel and

as always I'll see you soon

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