Counter Pressure Ring Receiving

Objective

• -Receive cleanly with pressure arriving from any angle
• -Improve awareness of space before the touch
• -Play out quickly under pressure

Setup

1. 1A ring of servers with two receivers working inside in a 24 x 24 yards area.
2. 2Place two mini goals on the halfway line for the counter-attacking side to aim at.
3. 3Balls with alternate servers, bibs for the chasers.

How to play

1. 1A server plays in and calls the receiver's name at the same time.
2. 2The receiver must take a controlled touch and return the ball to a different server.
3. 3Working players rotate out every 45 seconds.
4. 4The team in possession starts each rep in their own half and must build forwards.
5. 5Turnovers earn a direct counter at the mini goals worth two points.

Progressions

• +Counter must be finished inside five seconds
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Award the counter goal for simply carrying over halfway
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Swap the counter goals for a dribble-through gate
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Receiving flat-footed
• -Returning to the same server every time
• -Dribbling into traffic when the counter is on