A player looks to get past an oncoming defender

Session programme

Session programme: press, tackle, and cover

Session

England Football Learning

5 mins - Nov 4, 2024

Programme intentions

This six-week programme aims to help your players:

think about what to do before, during and after pressing or tackling
work on both individual and team actions of pressing and covering.

If you're short on time, this structured training programme can be used as it is. Pitch sizes in this programme are shown as how long the pitch is x how wide it is, but these are just suggestions.

To make the programme more effective, adapt it to suit your players, your numbers and the space you have. If you want to skip, repeat or amend these sessions – that's fine. It’s up to you how you use this resource.

If you like this idea, download the whole programme and give it a go. And don't forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We'd love to know how you got on.

If you’re coaching U7s, please note that from the 2026-27 season, changes will be made to the formats to improve the experience young players get across the country. Check out the Future Fit digital content hub to find out more and alter training plans accordingly.

Week one: press, cover, and balance

Small-sided games: Set up three pitches. On pitch one, keeping a clean sheet is worth three goals. On pitch two, winning the ball in the opponent's half and scoring is worth three goals. On pitch three, winning the ball and scoring on the counter is worth three goals.
Positioning to press: Set up multiple 15x15-yard squares with footballs around the edge, depending on the number of players in your session. Have four attackers and two defenders involved on each pitch. Two attackers start at each end of the area, and two defenders are in the middle.
The attacking team start by making a sideways pass to their teammate. They aim to keep possession and pass across the square to their other teammates. Defenders work together to press. They can intercept or force the attackers to kick the ball out of play, but aren't allowed to tackle.
Defend for glory: Mark out your pitch into even thirds. Play a regular game, but teams will be awarded goals depending on where they win the ball. Three points are awarded in the attacking third, two in the middle third, and one in the defensive third.

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Coaching points

Encourage players to think about when to press. If an opponent takes a heavy touch, is hesitant on the ball or is facing their own goal, these are good triggers to press.
Get players to think about their positioning when pressing as a unit. If the gap between them is too big, a pass can easily be played through. Players need to think about how they can provide cover when a teammate presses.
Encourage players to communicate with each other. Teams need to be on the same page to make sure the press, and cover behind it, are effective.

On the pitch: week one

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch. You can also get more information about the first week of the programme here.

Week two: press for success

Small-sided games: Set up three pitches. On pitch one, winning the ball and scoring within three seconds is worth three goals. On pitch two, winning the ball in the opponent's half and scoring is worth three goals. On pitch three, keeping a clean sheet is worth three goals.
Keeper starts: Use two pitches split into thirds with a goal and a keeper at each end. Scoring after winning the ball in the attacking third earns three goals. If there’s a goal or the ball goes out, play restarts from the keeper, and the ball must be played to a player in their defensive third.
Press for success: Mark out your pitch into even thirds. Play a regular game, but teams will be awarded goals depending on where they win the ball. Three points are awarded in the attacking third, two in the middle third, and one in the defensive third.

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Coaching points

Encourage players to think about how they press. They need to decelerate when approaching someone, rather than just running at them. So, they need to slow down, be side-on, and bend their knees to stay down when close to an opponent.
Ask players to scan and think about their positioning when pressing. Using cover and balance is important. By having players in covering positions, it prevents the team being played through easily.
Get players to consider their starting positions when play restarts to increase their chances of winning the ball high. Teams should use the first presser as a guide for where they should be. If they cut off a passing lane, the rest of the team should lock onto relevant opponents. They also need to position themselves to be ball-side and goal-side.

On the pitch: week two

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch. You can also get more information about the second week of the programme here.

Week three: pressing zones

Small-sided games: Set up three pitches. On pitch one, keeping a clean sheet is worth three goals. On pitch two, winning the ball in the opponent's half and scoring is worth three goals. On pitch three, winning the ball and scoring on the counter is worth three goals.
Pressing zones: Two teams, including a goalkeeper, are on one pitch, which is divided into nine even zones. The aim is to press and win back the ball. The number of players in the zone from the same team when the ball is won equals the number of goals the team gets if they then go on to score.
Defend for glory: Mark out your pitch into even thirds. Play a regular game, but teams will be awarded goals depending on where they win the ball. Three points are awarded in the attacking third, two in the middle third, and one in the defensive third.

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Coaching points

Encourage players to communicate with each other when pressing and covering. Players need to work together to be compact in central areas to avoid being played through.
Remind players to think about when to press. If an opponent takes a heavy touch, is hesitant on the ball, is facing their own goal, or plays a slow pass, these are good triggers to press.
Get players to think about how they approach an opponent when pressing. Curving their run can help them cut off passing lanes and dictate how the opponent acts on the ball. For instance, the angle of their press can force an opponent inside or outside. Players then need to think about deceleration. If there isn’t a trigger to press, they should slow down and delay the opponent.
Players need to think about how they work together to press successfully. The first player or players to press are likely the disrupters. The second line of pressers are likely to be the ones to intercept the ball.

On the pitch: week three

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch.

Week four: challenge, recover, and stop

Small-sided games: Set up three pitches. On pitch one, winning the ball and scoring on the counter is worth three goals. On pitch two, winning the ball in the square and scoring is worth three goals. On pitch three, players take part in a normal game.
Recovery royale: Use the same three channels. On the first, create a gate away and to the side of the goal. Put a starter cone for the attacker further away from the gate. Next to this, lay out three flat markers that get progressively closer to the goal.
The attacker starts with the ball and runs through the gate before shooting. The defender starts on a flat marker and tries to catch the attacker before they score. If the defender wins, they get more points for starting from the furthest marker than starting from the nearest marker to goal.
On the second, set up a square with cones and a flat marker away from the goal. Players start back-to-back at the marker. The attacker runs to the edge of the pitch. The defender runs to the edge of the square. The attacker then tries to score while the defender aims to win the ball in the square.
The third is similar to the first. The difference here is that it should be set up so the attacker runs to a different side. If the attacker runs to the left in the first channel, they should run to the right on this one.
Press for success: Mark out your pitch into even thirds. Play a regular game, but teams will be awarded goals depending on where they win the ball. Three points are awarded in the attacking third, two in the middle third, and one in the defensive third.

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Coaching points

Encourage players to work as a unit and think about their positioning when trying to dictate play. When pressing, players need to position their bodies to force the opponent to move in a certain direction. Meanwhile, their teammates must provide a bit of depth to cover the space behind.
Get players to think about the need to decelerate during a recovery run. Defenders must curve their run, slow down at the right time, then get down low when near their opponent.
Players need to try to deny space. Emphasise the importance of pressing high when there’s an opportunity, so they don’t just wait for the attacker to run at them.
Remember, it isn’t possible to press all game. Players need to work together to think about when it’s best to do so.

On the pitch: week four

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch.

Week five: small-sided duel

Small-sided games: Split your pitch into thirds. On pitch one, keeping a clean sheet equals three goals. On pitch two, winning the ball in the opponent's half and scoring equals three goals. On pitch three, scoring on the counter equals three goals. Rotate teams around to play on all pitches.
Diamond duel: Put four cones down to create a diamond shape. A cone should be at the edge of each side. Split players into attackers and defenders. They line up at opposite ends of the diamond, roughly 20 yards apart from each other.
In this 1v1 game, the attacker aims to get to any of the three cones across from them without being tagged. Reaching either of the side cones is worth one point, and the far cone is worth three. The defender must tag the attacker before they reach a cone. After their turn, the next pair have a go.
Progress the game by giving the attackers a ball. The aim of the game is the same, but this progression puts the focus on the art of tackling. Once players have had a go, the next pair have a turn, while the original attacker and defender swap sides.
Now progress to a 2v2 game on each pitch. If you have more players, they swap with their teammates after each turn. Create gates either side of both starting cones. If the defenders win the ball, the practice opens up into a four-goal game. Play until a goal is scored or the ball goes out of play.
Defend for glory: Mark out your pitch into even thirds. Play a regular game, but teams will be awarded goals depending on where they win the ball. Three points are awarded in the attacking third, two in the middle third, and one in the defensive third.

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Coaching points

Remind players to think about when to press. If an opponent takes a heavy touch, is hesitant on the ball, is facing their own goal, or plays a slow pass, these are good triggers to press.
Get players to think about adjusting their speed when approaching an opponent. If it’s not possible to press or tackle, they should slow down and delay them instead.
Ask players to think about their movement skills and body shape when tackling. Players need to adjust their speed, be agile and balanced. If it’s possible to tackle, they need to be positive, show enthusiasm, and time it correctly rather than diving in.

Week six: challenge, read, and react

Small-sided games: Set up three pitches. Start with free play before adding challenges. On pitch one, teams get three goals if they win the ball in their opponent's half and score. On pitch two, teams have three seconds to score after winning the ball. On pitch three, teams play a match scenario.
Gate race: Players pair up and create a gate. One player starts with the ball in their hands and passes to their partner through the gate. The receiver dribbles to a cone while the thrower attempts to get there first. Players swap roles after five goes. Players rotate if they’re in a three.
1v1s: Set up three channels. Have a halfway line and an end zone on the end channels. Have two defenders and two attackers on these two channels. This is a 1v1 game, but players rotate after each go. The defender starts in one half with the attacker lining up on the edge of the other half.
The attacker plays a one-two with the defender to start the practice. The two players then have a 1v1. The attacker aims to enter the end zone and stop the ball on the end line. If the defender wins the ball, the next pair comes on to have a go.
Two practices take place on the middle channel. Set it up with a halfway line and then an end zone at one end. A defender starts in the area between the halfway line and the end zone. An attacker starts with a ball on halfway and tries to get into the end zone to score. Players rotate after each go.
The same activity takes place in the other half of the middle pitch. An attacker starts on the halfway line with a ball. They try to beat a defender in the area and to the end zone to score. The defender tries to win it and get to the halfway line to score. Players rotate after each go.
Quick transitions: Use the whole area with a goal at each end. Have a 6v6 with five neutrals outside the pitch who help the team in possession. Scoring a goal is worth one point. If the ball is regained and a goal is scored within five seconds, it’s worth five points.
Press for success: Mark out your pitch into even thirds. Play a regular game, but teams will be awarded goals depending on where they win the ball. For one team, three points are awarded in the attacking third, two in the middle third, and one in the defensive third. Reverse it for the other team.

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Coaching points

Remind players to think about when to press. If an opponent takes a heavy touch, is hesitant on the ball, is facing their own goal, or plays a slow pass, these are good triggers to press.
Ask players to think about how they press. They need to decelerate when approaching someone, rather than just running at them. So, they need to slow down, be side-on and bend their knees when close to an opponent.
Encourage players to try to pinch the ball when challenging to keep possession and launch a counter-attack. Deceleration, as mentioned previously, will help your players slow down and pick their moment to steal the ball to play forward.