High press with sideline traps

Setup

1. Building team: a goalkeeper (GK) and four outfield players (A1 to A4) in their own half.
2. Pressing team: four players (D1 to D4) set up around the halfway line.
3. Mark a target line 5 m inside the far half: the builders score a point by dribbling over it.

How it runs

1. GK starts every rep with a throw (4 seconds to release).
2. Pressers score 2 for winning it near the touchline and 3 for a goal from the turnover.
3. Builders score 1 by dribbling over the target line.
4. Reps of 20 seconds, then a 40-second reset. Swap roles after 8 reps.

Coaching points

• Trigger: a throw or pass out to the wide player. That is the moment to go.
• First presser curves the run to shut the inside pass and show the ball down the line.
• The touchline is the extra defender. The keeper can't take a pass-back after the throw until an opponent has touched it.
• Second presser jumps the line pass; third cuts off the diagonal.
• Far-side presser tucks in: the switch is too long to worry about.
• Win it and attack straight away; the goal is close.
• No fouls: they count. From the sixth team foul it's a 10 m kick with no wall.

Common mistakes

• Pressing straight on, which leaves the inside pass open.
• Pressers arriving one at a time, so the trap never closes.
• Going in too hard and fouling on the touchline.
• Winning it and passing backwards instead of attacking.