Pressure Free Kick Zone Practice

Objective

• -Practise deliveries and strikes from set positions
• -Decide between shooting and delivering
• -Rehearse the routine with a wall in place

Setup

1. 1Three marked free kick zones around the edge of the area with a pole wall in a 30 x 26 yards area.
2. 2Position a recovering defender behind each working player, starting two yards back.
3. 3Balls at each zone, poles for the wall, keeper in goal.

How to play

1. 1Take three kicks from each zone in turn.
2. 2Central zones are struck at goal, wide zones are delivered.
3. 3Runners attack every delivery.
4. 4The defender is released the moment the ball leaves the server's foot.
5. 5The working player scores by completing the action before pressure arrives; the defender scores by blocking it.

Progressions

• +Defender starts level rather than behind
• +Raise the demand once the group is consistently successful

Regressions

• -Defender presses at jogging pace only
• -Simplify the area or the service until success returns

Variations

• -Two defenders alternate so pressure is constant
• -Run the practice on the opposite side of the pitch

Common mistakes

• -Blasting every free kick
• -No runners on the delivery
• -Facing your own goal and getting trapped by the press