Press and Recover.
Press and Recover (1) – Acceleration, Deceleration and change of direction mechanics in Closed Football Context. Press to win the ball, recover to not get split, always protecting the space behind you. This drill will require short intense bouts of work, building on the lower body strength capacity within the specific skill context of pressing and recovering. This is a specific way of pressing that relates to the way the players are being coached, showing the opposition outside the pitch and protecting the central areas. Body shape should be side on when showing opposition outside the pitch. the cross step is used to get back into a central position as the distance is short and allows for the next press efficiently. When pressing in the middle of the pitch we want the players to be more square to ensure they are a bigger target to bypass. Context is always key when linking physical skills and capacities to the game model of the team/club. This shows a 1:4 work:Rest ratio. Complete 4-8 reps depending on session context.
9-10 Press and Cover.
Press and Cover (2) – Acceleration, Deceleration and change of direction mechanics in More open Football Context working as a pair, moving on from the previous drill. Press to win the ball (passively in this case), recover to not get split, always protecting the space behind you, in this case cover the middle of the pitch so the coach (opposition) can not break our press. Take the coaching points from the previous drill into this more ‘contextual’ or ‘live’ scenario based practice. Start by passing the ball forward, then press in pairs, press showing wide, recover and protect the central area and the ball is moved across a few times. Allow the ball to be passed forward and rest, the next pair will press the ball. Players in possession can actively look to find the coach in the middle as a progression. Communication in the pairs is key. 2-4 x 2 mins. 1:0.5 / 0.75 Work:Rest ratio depending on level of fitness/skill. Make sure in the breaks the fundamental skills are touched on e.g. footwork on the deceleration, angle of approach, speed of central cover etc.
Challenges
As discussed these drills are excellent for building capacity but also for developing physical skills in a setting related to actual match play. We are not so much looking at acceleration and deceleration in isolation or from a straight line track perspective, we are putting the athletes in positions with context to the game and the game model. The challenge for you as an S&C coach/Physical performance coach is to be confident with the context, which is the game model the coaches wish to play with. In this scenario we have the players showing the opposition outside the pitch and protecting the central areas, whereas another coach may prefer to show the ball inside the pitch with extra numbers to win the ball back in that area. Therefore, knowing your context is key.