Press and Show Wide: A 2v1 Defending Game for U8 to U14

How to set it up

• Mark a lane about 12 metres wide and 15 metres long.
• Groups of three: two attackers start on one end line with a ball, one defender on the other.
• Several lanes side by side for bigger groups.

How to play

• The attackers start with a pass across to each other. The defender may move as soon as the ball is played.
• The attackers score by stopping the ball on the defender's end line.
• The defender scores by winning the ball and kicking it over the attackers' end line.
• When the ball goes out or someone scores, the next group goes.
• Change the defender every two minutes.

Why it works

Two against one is the hardest job a defender has, so every second counts. The defender learns to cover ground while the ball is travelling, the only moment the attackers cannot hurt them.

Then the question changes: can I make this a 1v1? Showing the ball carrier towards the side line, away from their partner, is how.

What to coach

• Sprint to close the space while the pass travels.
• Slow down two or three metres away, so the attacker cannot go past you.
• Side-on, showing the ball carrier towards the side line and away from the other attacker.
• Stay on your feet until the attacker gives you a chance to win it.

Questions to ask

• "When was the best moment to run at the attackers?"
• "Which way did you make the attacker go, and why that way?"
• "What did the attackers do that made it hard for you?"

Make it easier, make it harder

• Easier: a narrower lane; the defender may start closer; the attackers must make the first pass straight across.
• Harder: a wider lane; the attackers can pass back and forward freely; a second defender joins from behind after three seconds, making it 2v2.

How to adapt it by age

• U8 to U9: a narrow lane, the first pass straight across.
• U10 to U12: the full game, with the defender scoring over the end line.
• U13 to U14: the recovering second defender, to start pressure and cover.