Training Plans - Hierarchy of Pressure in Attacking Activities
By Craig Lansing
In my desire to continue to develop high level training plans on attacking subjects I realized that a Hierarchy of Defensive Pressure exists. The defensive pressure I am referencing is not a instruction on how to play defense in games or technical aspects of defending but instead trying to understand what the appropriate levels of pressure is when designing a training plan.
As coaches many times we design what we think will be an amazing training session for our players that will produce unbelievable results - yes the plan is just that good. We then go to the pitch, set it all up, give the players our well thought out instructions only to watch them struggle. Why are they not getting it? I know in my younger coaching days I would have thought it to be a problem with the players just not being focused or an issues related to them. After all, I designed a master work of art in training and they failed not me.
Over the years and through many training session I have come to realize that most of the time when my players fail it is not them, it is me. So how did I fail? Many factors can play into the success or failure of an activity related to training activities but to me the one that is missed the most is LEVELS OF DEFENSIVE PRESSURE. What I mean by this is when I designed the training session I must take into account the proper level of pressure for the age group, skill level of players and apply it in a progressive manner.
Here is how I apply the HIERARCHY OF DEFENSIVE PRESSURE when designing a session:
- You cannot fit all of these levels (and it is not necessary to try) into a single training plan
- Consider what age group you are training in order to pick a starting point
- The skill level of your players must be taken into account as an Premier team would not need to start at as low of level as a Classic team
- When you design your plan you should always move lower to higher pressure. If you need to move down then you started too high or progressed to fast.
HIERARCHY OF DEFENSIVE PRESSURE IN ATTACKING ACTIVITIES
NO PRESSURE - In your own space by yourself
NO PRESSURE - In a defined space by yourself
LIGHT PRESSURE - At a cone with no one on other side
LIGHT PRESSURE - At a cone with players approaching from each side
LIGHT PRESSURE - In a defined space along with other players at the same time
MEDIUM PRESSURE - At a player being a passive defender
MEDIUM PRESSURE - At another player in two lines facing one another (no cone)
HIGH PRESSURE - 1v1 with a restriction on the defender that they cannot go backwards
HIGH PRESSURE - 1v1 with no restrictions
HIGH PRESSURE - 2v1 so we are adding decision making as another available option