Counterpressing in 7-a-side and 8-a-side football: drills and conditioned games
Counterpressing in 7-a-side (fútbol 7, F7) and 8-a-side (fútbol 8, F8) is the team's joint reaction in the first five seconds after losing the ball, and it is coached with simple rules and conditioned games.
- Who: the nearest player presses and two team-mates close lanes.
- How long: five seconds; if the ball is not won back, everyone drops.
- Age: as a game from alevín (ages 10-11); in benjamín (ages 8-9), a single cue.
- Tasks: transition rondo, positional game with goals and conditioned match.
What counterpressing is and from what age to ask for it
Counterpressing is the team's joint reaction during the first five seconds after losing the ball: the nearest player challenges for it and team-mates close the passing options, aiming to win it back before the opponent lifts their head. The five seconds are a coaching reference children can count; no rulebook sets them.
This post follows on from building out in 7-a-side and 8-a-side football. There the team builds with the ball; here the work is on the moment right after losing it, which does not appear by itself in rondos or build-up and needs its own slot in the session.
In alevín, in F7 or F8, it makes sense as a game with short rules. In benjamín one cue is enough: on losing it, the nearest player goes to the ball and the others move closer. In prebenjamín (under-8s) it is not structured. Block adjustments and zonal pressing wait until infantil; drills by age shows how difficulty rises.
Simple rules for 7-a-side and 8-a-side: who presses, who closes lanes and when to drop
Three roles, assigned by closeness to the ball rather than by position:
- Presses: the player nearest the ball, whether they lost it or a team-mate beside them. They arrive fast and slow down a couple of metres away so they cannot be dribbled past.
- Closes lanes: the next two nearest block the easiest pass for the player on the ball, the one into the adjacent lane and the one into the centre. They stand on the passing line, not tight to the opponent.
- Covers: the rest stay behind the line of the ball. As our own approximate guide, two players stay back in F7 and three in F8.
When to give up: after five seconds without winning it, or sooner if the opponent beats the presser with a pass. Then everyone runs back to their starting positions. Agree a drop word, for example out, that any player can call.
In F8 the third midfielder closes the central lane and the team has one more player to cover, so the press can be a little more aggressive without leaving space behind. It is the other side of the opponent's press on the build-up: what the opposition does against our build-up is what we do here when we lose it.
Drill 1: transition rondo in 7-a-side and 8-a-side
It starts from the usual rondo and adds a consequence to losing the ball. If the group has not yet mastered the 4v2, start there.
Drill 1 sheet: transition rondo · 12 minutes.
- Space: 20 x 20 metres, a square marked with cones.
- Players: 4 against 4 and 2 floaters who always play with the team in possession. With 10 players in the group it fits exactly; with 12 or more, add a second square.
- Rules: the team in possession plus the floaters scores a point for every six consecutive passes. On losing it, the four players who lost it press for five seconds counted aloud by the coach; if they win it back within that time, they score a point. After five seconds the coach calls out and play continues without a point.
- Time: 4 sets of 3 minutes, with one minute of rest.
- Variations: cut to three seconds; remove a floater; shrink the square to 15 x 15 metres; ban the floater from first-time play after a turnover.
- Correct: all four run at the ball and leave the easy pass open; the player who lost it stands still; the presser goes in head-on and is dribbled past; nobody calls out at five seconds.
Drill 2: positional game with goals and transition
The second drill moves the reaction to a pitch with goals, where losing the ball has a visible cost.
Drill 2 sheet: positional game with goals · 16 minutes.
- Space: 35 x 30 metres, with three lanes of 10 metres marked with cones and an F7 goal on each short side. Without keepers, use 3 metre goals.
- Players: 5 against 5, organised by lanes (F8: 6 against 6 on 40 x 30 metres).
- Rules: when attacking, each team keeps at least one player in every lane. On losing the ball, the team presses for five seconds using the roles from the rules section. The first goal after winning it back within that time counts two; any other counts one.
- Time: 4 sets of 4 minutes, with one minute of rest.
- Variations: three-touch limit per player; an extra point if the ball is won back in the opponent's half; cut the time to four seconds.
- Correct: empty lanes when attacking, which leave the presser without help; three players pressing at once with nobody behind; chasing beyond five seconds.
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Conditioned games in 7-a-side and 8-a-side
The conditioned game closes the work because the group must apply the reaction with keepers, restarts and opponents who move. The measurements are our own and approximate; no federation sets them.
Drill 3 sheet: conditioned game · 20 minutes.
- Space: 7 against 7 on 40 x 30 metres; 8 against 8 on 45 x 35 metres. Mark a pressing zone strip of 10 metres on each side of the halfway line with cones.
- Rules by block: in the first block, an extra point each time a team wins the ball back within five seconds of losing it. In the second, pressing is compulsory only if the turnover happens in the pressing zone; outside it, the team gets into shape. In the third, a two-touch limit inside that strip.
- Time: 3 blocks of 6 minutes, with two minutes to explain each new rule.
- Variations: goals count only after winning the ball back; the coach joins the team that loses it to set the pace of the drop.
- Correct: turnovers with no reaction in the team's own half; going to press when the opponent has already passed the line; not dropping at five seconds.
To measure, count in every match how many of ten turnovers are won back within five seconds and compare the start and end of the term. To fit the block into a full session, the standard alevín session is a useful guide.
The third man and transitions: how it looks on the pitch and common mistakes
The third man is the team-mate who neither presses nor closes the first pass, but anticipates the next one. In counterpressing it looks like this: the first player goes to the ball carrier, the second closes the nearest pass and the third is already watching the opponent who would receive the next pass. If the opponent plays it, the third arrives before the ball.
In the attacking transition after winning the ball, the same player offers a free exit, away from the group that has just pressed. That is why the safe pass after winning it is asked of them first and not of the team-mate right beside the ball.
- All three go to the ball: the opponent plays to the free player and the press collapses. Fix it with a rule: only one watches the ball, the other two watch the opponent.
- Going in head-on: the carrier passes or dribbles down the side. Ask the presser to approach from the side that closes the inside pass.
- Pressing with no limit: after five seconds the team stretches and leaves space behind. Count aloud and demand the drop.
- Long kick on winning it: what was won is lost. Practise a short first pass to the free player before looking for the striker.
Fitting it into the week: place in the session, volume and workload by age
Place counterpressing in the middle part of the session, after the warm-up and a short rondo, and before the conditioned game. If the week includes build-up work, put them on the same day: build with the ball first, react to losing it afterwards. Distribute the week's blocks with planning the season and the microcycle.
Repeated pressing tires and quality drops, so it is coached in short sets of 3 to 4 minutes with rest. One heavy day with drills 1 and 2 and another with the conditioned game are enough; the day before the match, five minutes as a reminder with no load.
- Benjamín: 5 to 8 minutes, only the nearest-player cue, in rondos with plenty of space and no counting of seconds.
- Alevín: 15 to 20 minutes across drill 1, drill 2 and a stretch of conditioned game, with five-second rules.
- Infantil: 20 to 25 minutes, with the pressing zone of the conditioned game and third-man work.
These are starting volumes; lower the load if the group arrives tired from the weekend's matches.
About the author
Content written by RutaMister from hands-on experience, editorial review and a teaching focus for youth football coaches.
Frequently asked questions
What is counterpressing in youth football?
Counterpressing is the team's reaction in the first five seconds after losing the ball: the nearest player challenges for it and two team-mates close the nearby passes. If it is not won back in that time, the team drops. It is coached with transition rondos and conditioned games.
How many players press after losing the ball in 7-a-side?
At most three players press: one challenges for the ball and two close the nearest passing lanes. The rest stay behind the line of the ball, at least two defenders in F7. It is an approximate coaching guide, not a federation rule, and it is adjusted to the group.
From what age is counterpressing coached in youth football?
As a game with rules, from alevín. In benjamín one cue is enough: on losing it, the nearest player goes to the ball. In prebenjamín it is not structured. Block adjustments and zonal pressing are left for infantil, when the group reads the game more easily.
How do you coach counterpressing with a conditioned game?
With a rule that rewards winning it back quickly: an extra point if the team wins the ball back within five seconds of losing it. Then add a pressing zone in the opponent's half and, later, a touch limit. Count how many of ten turnovers are won back and compare across the term.