WITHOUT THE BALL
Explain a coordinated press
Connect the first player’s pressure with the cover behind them, so a press becomes a team action.
Choose one trigger
Set up an opposing goalkeeper, two centre-backs and a holding midfielder. Add your first pressing player, two supporting players and a midfielder behind them. Pick one clear trigger, such as a pass towards the touchline or a receiver taking a touch back towards their own goal. Do not combine every possible trigger in the first explanation.
Shape the approach
Show the first presser approaching on a curve that discourages the pass you want to block. If the intention is to force play wide, angle the approach to screen the central option. Use a dotted line to explain the run and a small shaded triangle for the passing lane being screened. The screen is a relationship between ball, presser and opponent; it moves as the ball moves.
Move the supporting players
On the second slide, move the nearest supporting player towards the likely wide receiver. Bring the next midfielder across to cover the inside pass. Include a deeper defender so the team can discuss what happens if the opponent plays over the press. A diagram where only the first attacker moves teaches chasing rather than coordinated pressure.
Keep an exit plan
Capture a third slide where the opponent escapes through a different route. Show your team recovering into a compact shape rather than continuing to chase one by one. Add a caption such as “If the first line is beaten, recover together”. The distances a team can defend depend on age, ability, speed and the space available, so adapt the picture to your players.
Review the decision, not just the tackle
Pause the animation just before the trigger and ask who moves first, who covers the next pass, and who protects the space behind. A useful press may force a backwards pass or a rushed clearance without winning the ball immediately. Watch for the first presser arriving alone, supporting players moving too late, and defenders stepping up without awareness of a runner behind. Change one position at a time to show how the outcome changes.