How to high press in soccer: trap the full back

A high press means defending near the other team's goal, closing down their defenders and goalkeeper as they try to play out from the back. To high press in soccer, wait for a trigger such as a pass out to a full back near the touchline, then have the nearest players press together. One player closes the ball, the next closest cut off the easy passes, and the rest of the team moves up behind them. The aim is to win the ball close to goal, or to force a hurried long kick that your defenders can deal with.

How a high press in soccer works

A press works when the team does it together. A forward who runs at a center back alone is easy to play around, because a pass sideways or back to the goalkeeper beats them. In an organized press, the first player closes the ball at an angle that blocks one pass, the players around them stay close to the nearest passing options, and the back line steps up so the space between the lines stays small.

Teams usually press on a trigger rather than all the time. Common triggers are a pass out to a full back near the touchline, a poor first touch, a player receiving while facing their own goal, and a slow or backward pass. The touchline helps because it takes away half of the receiver's options. The player who presses uses the same footwork as when defending 1v1: arrive under control and keep the receiver on the touchline side. Pressing on a trigger also means everyone goes at the same moment and the team saves energy between presses.

Pressing high leaves space behind your defenders. Pushing the back line up keeps the team compact, and the goalkeeper can stand further off the line to deal with balls played over the top.

Step by step

In this play, O is building out from its goalkeeper on the left and D, the pressing team, sets up in a 4-4-2.

O's goalkeeper plays short to the center back, O3. D10 closes O3 down from the middle, so O3 can't easily play back inside, and the rest of D shift towards the ball side.

The only safe pass left is down the line to the full back, O4, and that pass is the trigger. D8 presses O4 from the inside, D10 drops into the passing lane back to O3, and the back line pushes up.

O4 has the touchline on one side and D8 on the other, so the pass has to go inside in a hurry. D7 has stayed close to O7 and steps in front to win it.

D7 plays the ball straight into D10's run inside O3, and D9 runs in to support.

D10 is in on goal with D9 alongside. Because the ball was won close to O's goal, one pass was enough to make a chance.

Coaching it

Start with the trigger. Walk through the play with the team and stop at the pass to the full back, so everyone sees the moment they all move. Then run it at walking pace with a small group of attackers playing out from their goalkeeper, and add speed once the shape holds. A common early mistake is a second player pressing before the trigger, so ask players to hold their shape until they see it.

A high press takes a lot of running. It can make sense to use it in spells, such as on the other team's goal kicks, and settle into a mid block the rest of the time.

The full play

You can copy this play into your own account and change it for your team, for example to match your formation or to set the trap on the other touchline.

If you coach a youth or rec team, you can also put your roster on Playspedia and keep playing time fair on game day.