Playing out from the back is a problem every coach will have throughout the Grassroots Football age groups.
In the younger groups a quick high press can be intimating for players and be the cause of a lot of goals conceded.
We’ve outlined a couple of a moves that can help relieve some of that pressure and help your players grow confident on the ball.
To enable your players to be comfortable with playing out from the back, the more Ball Mastery Drills and Passing Drills you do, will massively increase their confidence to practise these in game scenarios.
Patience is Key
As with all teams playing out from the back, at whatever levels, patience is Key.
Its not going to happen over night, and mistakes will be made and goals will be conceded.
The key is to get the players to buy in to what you want them to do. Tell them that if they do make a mistake and a goal is scored, then it doesn’t matter and to keep trying.
Eventually it will come good and your team will reap the rewards
5 a side Routines ( U7 & U8 )
1. Playing out from the Back – Creating the Gap
This one is just about creating a safe passage for your player to play into.
When lining up for a goal kick, make sure you overload on one side, so the other side is empty.
As soon as you overload, the opposition coach will no doubt ensure that your players are matched.
Have your centre forward pushed right up on their defender in the centre of the pitch.
When the defender receives the goal kick from the keeper, they take one touch and play it out wide into the space created by the overload
The Centre forward will know this is coming and can react first to win the ball.
The midfielders then move over for support.
It’s a good starter routine, and even if they wise up the second time, and don’t match your players, you have an overloaded side that you can play too and outnumber the opposition as they effectively have one player out of the game.
2. Playing out from the Back – Playing through the Gate
This one takes a little more confidence from the defender playing the ball.
Confidence to choose a pass before they receive the ball and stick with it.
Instead of looking to play to a players feet, they are playing through the gates. Gates being the gaps between the opposition players.
This will allow the wingers or forwards to run on to the through ball and build play in the oppositions half.
Build up to it
It can take a bit of working on, but we have a great passing drill that can be done in training to really help bring the defenders confidence on.
The image below is the starter, giving the defenders a set amount of time to control and play a pass.
The Scale up adds the element of an pressing attacker, which really helps build a game like scenario and gets the players ready to perform in a match.
3. Playing out from the Back – Dropping the Shoulder
At this age group, the “Press” is basically players running to the ball as fast as they can.
This one uses that against them.
Line up with 2 defenders and 2 forwards for the goal kick.
Once the keeper plays the pass to a defender, the other defender drops round as cover ( Just in case )
As the forward sprints toward the other defender, he waits, drops the shoulder to go one way, and then goes the other.
Defender then either carries into space on the attack or plays in a striker.
It will take a bit of practice, but having the cover on will help with the confidence to try.
This will work and work and work until the coaches try to teach the players to stop it during the break.
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7 a side Routines ( U9 & U10 )
1. Playing out from the Back – Building Play & Beating the Press
This looks more complicated than it actually is.
Four quick pass and moves will have you away down the wing. Its just about getting your players in place.
Keeper players the ball to the defender, defender takes a touch and faces out wide.
Winger drops back to receive the pass, plays a first time pass into the Central Midfielder, who returns the ball in a 1-2 to the winger who is away down the line.
Its a series of 1 or 2 touch passes that will take some practice.
Working in triangles on the training is a really good way to get the understanding that little movements off the ball can really help open the spaces up.
Again, patience is the key. Playing out from the back will not happen overnight.
Working on the passing and these drills over 3 or 4 weeks in training is a good idea.
Once mastered, the movements etc will really help benefit play in general in other areas of the pitch.
2. Playing out from the Back – Play the way your Facing
This one is about keeping it simple under pressusre, and playing the way you are facing.
A couple of short passes should be enough to open play up and transition up the pitch
The first two passes are simple and straight forward.
Goalkeeper plays the ball the feet of the retreating Centre Midfielder.
Centre midfield take a touch, or plays a first time pass into either defender.
The Defender then has 3 options, depending on how they choose to receive the ball. They can take it on the front foot, and return the pass to the Centre Midfielder who has moved into space.
They can take it on the back foot and open the angle to play down the line to the winger, or they can return the ball to the keeper to clear if the Press is a really good one
Back Foot / Front Foot Pass & Move
This Heads Up Pass & Move drill really helps understand the difference between front foot and back foot control
Playing out from the Back – What happens next.
The transition from defence to attack is the next key phase.
Having build the confidence of your players into playing out from the back, the next part is to transition those moves into an attack.
This Linking Play Drill is a great way to do that and brings the centre forward into play early who feeds into the wingers before spinning into the box.
Depending on how your team has played out from the back, this transition could continue down the same side of the pitch, or go the other way and completely open the game up.
Let us know your thoughts.
It would be great to hear your thoughts, there are loads of different ways to Play out from the back and transition into attack.
If you have any drills you’d like us to feature, comment below or drop us an email and we’d be happy to post them (Giving you full credit of course)
