Underload 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 16 x 16 yards area.
2. 2Add one extra defender to the working area and mark their start position with a flat cone.
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 attacking group starts a player short, so every entry pass has to be sharp.
5. 5Defenders score a point for every clean turnover; attackers need three clean end actions to win the round.

Progressions

• +Add a second extra defender
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Even the numbers up again
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Attackers get one 'free pass' per round they can call
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Receiving flat-footed
• -Returning to the same server every time
• -Trying to beat two players instead of releasing early