Home Formations Roster Sessions Live Sessions Shop Pricing Compare Reviews Client CRM Tacti AI
Open Tactical Board
Tactico Playcode™

How to Beat a High Press

By Sherif Madkor · Tactico · Last reviewed 30 October 2026 · How this page was made

The short answer: a high press can’t mark everybody, so there is always a free player somewhere.1 Teach the player on the ball to look before the pass arrives, play away from the nearest presser to a teammate who is facing play, and switch sides when he is pinned.1,2 And when the other team has sent most of its players forward, there is space behind them to use.3

  • 4 beats
  • 4 age groups
  • 3 options to read
  • 3 cue words
CUEMan on!
01 · See it

Watch the press, then choose

Their front line presses like a chain: when the first player goes, the rest move with him.4 Their near winger runs a curve instead of a straight line, so his body shuts the pass inside and pushes play wide.5 Their striker sits just in front of our No.6, so the pass to him runs through the striker’s cover shadow, the space behind a defender that a pass can’t easily reach.6 Watch what each of their players does when the keeper rolls the ball to our near centre-back, then freeze at the moment he has to decide. What would your players do?

Goal kick. Blue’s centre-backs are wide and the full-backs are high. Watch how Red lines up to press.

Freeze. What should No.5 do?

Ask your players before you show them. Tap an option to play it out.

  • Pass
  • Our run
  • Their press
  • Cue word
  • Cover shadow
  • Touchline trap
  • Us (Blue) · Them (Red)
Read the sequence as text

Setup

Goal kick. Blue’s centre-backs are wide and the full-backs are high. Watch how Red lines up to press.

The press

  1. Keeper rolls it to No.5. Their winger curves in to shut the pass inside, the striker sits on our No.6, their eight steps onto our right-back, and the back four step up.

The freeze

Freeze. No.5 has the ball, the winger is closing, and the inside and touchline passes look covered. What now?

A. Back to the keeper

Best answer: use the free side. Red built its trap on one side, so the free player is on the other. A back pass is itself a press trigger, so the keeper must already be set: the next ball goes across or forward, never back again.1,2,7

  1. No.5 plays it straight back first time. Their winger and striker are now chasing the ball the wrong way, and the keeper has time.
  2. The keeper looks up and switches to No.4 on the far side, where nobody is near him. No.8 is already running as the ball travels.
  3. No.4 plays up the line to No.3, who is free on the touchline. Their press is stuck on the other side of the pitch.
  4. No.3 plays inside to No.8, who has run into the space behind their midfield and has time to turn. The press is beaten.

B. Drive it past them

Risky: only if their line is high. It works here because their back four have stepped up and a runner is already going into the space behind them. If their line is set and nobody is running, a ball over the press is a coin flip they have set up to win. For U11 and younger it must go to feet or space, never to a header.2,3,8

  1. No.5 drives it flat past their pressers to No.7, who was already running. Their back line is too high to stop him.
  2. No.7 is clear of their back line with two runners alongside. This works because they pushed up and he was already running.

C. Pass inside to the 6

Avoid: you give it away. Their striker’s body blocks the lane, and even if the ball gets through, the 6 receives facing his own goal with a defender behind him and no time to turn. Lose it there and it is a shot against.5,7

  1. No.5 passes inside. The striker’s body is in the lane, so the ball arrives late and No.6 receives facing his own goal.
  2. Their midfielder is on him straight away and takes it.
  3. He slides it to the striker, who has turned. Our centre-backs are wide of him.
  4. Shot against. The pass went into the one place they had shut.
02 · Say it

Three words they’ll actually hear

A short shout carries; a sentence doesn’t. Pick three words, teach them in training, and use only those on the touchline. These three turn up on coaching lists of key shouts,9 and the meanings below are the way I teach them. Hover or tap a card to see when to say it.

CUE 01
“Man on!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

A teammate is about to receive, and an opponent is closing from behind him where he can’t see.10 Shout it early so he knows to play quickly. In the pattern above that is No.5, as the winger arrives.

CUE 02
“Time!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

The player on the ball has space and nobody close. He can take a touch, turn and look up. In the pattern it is the keeper after the back pass, and No.8 once the switch finds him.

CUE 03
“Switch!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

Everyone has been pulled toward one side and the other side is empty, so the ball goes across.1 Anyone can shout it. The teammate who sees the space first is usually the one who should.

03 · Play it

The constraint ladder

Don’t lecture about pressing. Build a game where beating it is the easiest way to score. Each rung adds one rule. Move up when the group handles a rung without your help, and stay put if they need a reminder every time. Check your league’s rules first.

Rules to check first

  • Formats. US Soccer’s maximum formats are 4v4 for U7–U8, 7v7 for U9–U10, 9v9 for U11–U12 and 11v11 from U13.11 Its 4v4 model has no keeper.12 England runs about a year older: 5v5 at U8–U9, 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13, and 11v11 from U14 (from 2026–27).13
  • The build-out line starts at U9, in the 7v7 game. US Soccer draws a line across the field 14 yards in front of each goal. When the keeper has the ball in hand or takes a goal kick, opponents stay behind it until the ball is in play, and the keeper can’t punt or drop-kick.14 There is no offside between midfield and the line.14
  • When the ball is in play. Since June 2019 a goal kick is in play when it is “kicked and clearly moves”.15,16 The kicking team can stand anywhere, even inside the box, and the keeper can wait until every opponent is behind the line or release early and accept the consequences.16
  • Where the line goes depends on your league. AYSO, for example, draws it halfway between the top of the box and the halfway line.17 I haven’t found a national build-out line for 9v9, so use one at 9v9 only if your league does, or mark one with cones. Check your league.
  • Heading. US Soccer frames this as a recommendation: no heading for U11 programs and younger, and a weekly limit at U12.8,18 Its 2017 announcement of the small-sided standards also spoke of new rules banning headers,14 and many leagues enforce heading limits as rules (AYSO, for example, bans heading for 11U and below),17 so check yours. The FA says primary-school-age children shouldn’t head in training and left match rules unchanged.19 For 10 and under, “over the top” means to feet or into space.

7v7 · keepers · build-out line (see the rules above).

  1. RUNG 1

    Second-Pass Release

    Setup. 7v7 with the build-out line marked.

    Rule · Opponents stay behind the line until the build-out team has made two passes.

    Ready when most restarts reach a midfielder facing forward without a long kick.

  2. RUNG 2

    Standard Line

    Setup. 7v7, with the line placed the way your league plays it.

    Rule · US Soccer’s rule: opponents wait behind the line, and the keeper can’t punt or drop-kick, so it is a pass, a throw or a roll.

    Ready when the keeper waits and looks before restarting,16 and the first receiver checks over his shoulder.

  3. RUNG 3

    Gate Escape

    Setup. Two gates, three yards wide, on the halfway line.3

    Rule · Passing through a gate to a teammate scores a point; winning the ball and scoring counts double.

    Ready when they mix short passes when they’re free with a switch when they’re pinned, and shout Man on, Time and Switch without being asked.

04 · Spot it

On match day

What to watch from the touchline, and the three mistakes you’ll see first.

Watch for

  • Where is the free player, and does the ball find him? There will always be one.1 FIFA’s goal-kick review uses Saudi Arabia against France as its example: the press commits to one side, the team passes back to the keeper, and he switches the play to the side that is now open.2
  • Do receivers look before the ball arrives? Scanning lets a player meet the pass on the move.21 Look for heads turning, and bodies set to take the ball in more than one direction.1
  • How many of their players are up the pitch? If most are, there is space behind them: the risk of pressing high is the space it creates behind the defensive line.7 Expect them to scramble back.
  • Is the keeper in the game? Is he calling, and choosing the restart from how they press?1 Are the centre-backs wide and the full-backs on the touchline?

Mistakes and the fix

Everyone bunches by the ballNobody is a pass away, so there is no free side. Fix: cones for width and depth. One coach’s line: “If you are standing next to a teammate, you are in the wrong spot.”3 FIFA’s advice is the same idea: don’t form lines.1
Passing to the player in troubleThe touchline full-back with a presser stepping out, or a 6 with his back to play. Fix: the passer checks first, and the receiver shows early and open. A simple scanning game helps, like calling out the colour of a cone during play. Only pass to someone who is facing play with time.
Rushing the restart, or hoofing every timeFix: the keeper holds the ball, looks up and calls a name.16 Mix it up: short when they are set, along the ground when they have gone high. FIFA’s review quotes Zuberbühler: “The variation – the mix – is still for me the key to being successful.”2

Touchline rule. Mistakes will happen. England U15 coach Kevin Betsy says to work on solutions with the players and support them before, during and after a mistake, and they grow quickly.23 Clap for them anyway.3

Run it in TacticoPlaycode Pro pack

Take it to training

Set this pattern up for your own squad tonight:

Everything on this page, ready to print and use at training:

  • Lay out your players on the Tactico board and draw each option, free
  • Animate it move by move and export a video for your players (first one free, then Pro)
  • Build the training session in the session planner and print it (Pro)
  • Share it with your coaches and parents with one link (free account)
  • Touchline cards for every age group (print and laminate)
  • Timed session sheet: warm-up, ladder, game
  • 4-week progression plan
  • Open the pattern in your board and animate it for your squad
  • Export the session with your own roster and numbers
Get the pack with Pro → Open the Tactico board, free →

Want animation and session plans? Try Pro free for 7 days.

Questions

Coaches ask

How do you beat a high press in soccer?

Find the free player, usually through the keeper and a third player.1 Scan before you get the ball, play away from the closest presser, and switch when you’re pinned. If most of their team is up the pitch, play into the space they left.3

What is a high press?

Closing the other team down in their own third.4 England Football says a press needs energy, coordination and communication, and it shows most on goal kicks.4 A single player chasing a centre-back is an underloaded press that should be easy to beat.7 US Soccer’s own U9–U10 game model asks teams to try to win the ball high up the field through pressing and being compact.24

Should my U10 team play out from the back or kick it long?

Play out when you have a shape and the line gives you time. US Soccer’s own explanation is that the build-out line eases defensive pressure on goal kicks so players can build confidence playing out.16 Writer Beau Dure argued in 2016 that U9–U10 keepers often can’t get a goal kick to a teammate, and wanted kicks played on the ground.25 And “random passing is dangerous. Structured passing is safe.”3 Go long when they commit high.

How does the build-out line work on goal kicks?

It starts at U9, in the 7v7 game. In US Soccer’s description the line is 14 yards in front of each goal. Opponents wait behind it when the keeper has the ball or takes a goal kick, and may cross once the ball is kicked and clearly moves.14,16 No punting or drop kicks.14 Some leagues place the line differently, so check yours.

Is a long ball okay, and what about heading?

Yes, as a release valve when the press is high.3 US Soccer recommends no heading for U11 programs and younger,8 many leagues enforce it as a rule,17 and the FA says primary-school-age children shouldn’t head in training.19 Send the ball to feet or into space.

Is it different in England?

England’s formats from 2026–27 are 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13 and 11v11 at U14 and up,13 about a year older than the US bands. Whether a retreat line or similar goal-kick rule applies depends on your county or league. I couldn’t find an official FA page that settles it, so check yours.

Keep going

What next

Next playcodePlaying Out From the BackThe goal-kick shape that gives your keeper a free teammate before the ball is kicked. Free tactics boardDraw it with your own playersSet up this shape on the board, draw the runs, and see it before you take it to training.
Formation guides
About

How this page was made

Written by Sherif Madkor for Tactico from published federation and coaching sources, which are listed below. The rules come from US Soccer’s public pages, the 2019 Law 16 clarification and the Laws of the Game. The diagrams are drawn on the Tactico board. The press, the three options and the practice ladders are my own teaching design, built on the principles in those sources; no federation publishes them as one pattern. Where I couldn’t confirm something, the page says so. Last reviewed 30 October 2026.

Sources

  1. FIFA Training Centre, Francesco Gabriele, “Beating an aggressive press” (2021). https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/elite-sessions/in-possession/gabriele-playing-out-from-the-back.php
  2. FIFA Training Centre, Game Insights, “Building from goal kicks” (2021). https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/game/game-insights/building-from-goal-kicks.php
  3. iCoachFootball, “How to teach ‘Building out from the back’ to youth teams” (the author’s credentials are self-described). https://www.icoachfootball.net/building-out-from-the-back-soccer/
  4. England Football Learning, “What are the game phases in football”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2026/What-are-the-game-phases-in-football
  5. FIFA Training Centre, NEC Nijmegen U19, “Denying central progression in a 4-4-2 versus a 4-3-3”. https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/elite-sessions/clubs-and-academies/dutch-academies/nec-nijmegen-u19-denying-central-progression-in-a-4-4-2-versus-a-4-3-3.php
  6. World Class Coaching, Soren Schamberg, “Slow the opposition build-up” (2022). https://worldclasscoaching.com/slow-the-opposition-build-up/
  7. Coaches’ Voice, “In focus: high press”. https://learning.coachesvoice.com/cv/in-focus-high-press/
  8. U.S. Soccer, “Recognize to Recover” guidelines, section V (Heading), hosted by NC Soccer. https://www.ncsoccer.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/167/2023/06/file.aspx-8.pdf
  9. Soccer Coach Weekly, Dave Clarke, “Soccer coaching tips to boost player communication”. https://www.soccercoachweekly.net/soccer-coaching/team-management/soccer-coaching-tips-to-boost-player-communication/
  10. SoccerHelp.com, soccer dictionary, “Man on”. https://www.soccerhelp.com/Soccer_Tips_Dictionary_Terms_M_N.shtml
  11. U.S. Soccer, “Game formats”. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-formats
  12. U.S. Soccer, age-group guide U7–U8. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/environment/age-group-guide/u7-u8
  13. England Football Learning, “What is a format in football”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2022/What-is-a-format-in-football
  14. U.S. Soccer, “Five things to know: how small-sided standards will change youth soccer” (2017). https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/08/five-things-to-know-how-smallsided-standards-will-change-youth-soccer
  15. IFAB, Laws of the Game, Law 16: The goal kick. https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/the-goal-kick/
  16. U.S. Soccer Coaching Education and Referee Program, “How do changes to IFAB Law 16 (The Goal Kick) affect the Build-Out Line?” (August 2019), hosted by Wisconsin Youth Soccer. https://www.wiyouthsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/168/2023/09/U.S.-Soccer-Law-16-BOL-Clarification.pdf
  17. AYSO Wiki, “Player Development Initiatives”. https://wiki.ayso.org/wiki/Player_Development_Initiatives
  18. U.S. Soccer, age-group guide U11–U12. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/environment/age-group-guide/u11-u12
  19. The FA, updated heading guidance. https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/about/news/the-fa-announce-updated-heading-guidance
  20. U.S. Soccer, game model U7–U8. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-models/u7-u8
  21. FIFA Training Centre, “5v5 plus 3 small-sided game: breaking the press and play in behind”. https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/talent-coach-programme/build-and-progress/5v5-plus-3-small-sided-game-breaking-the-press-and-play-in-behind.php
  22. England Football Learning, “Attacking session: playing out to attack” (2025). https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2025/Attacking-session-playing-out-to-attack
  23. The FA, “How England U15s play out from the back” (Kevin Betsy). https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/resources/coaching/how-england-u15s-play-out-from-the-back
  24. U.S. Soccer, game model U9–U10. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-models/u9-u10
  25. SoccerWire, Beau Dure, “Coaches need to get a grip on goal-kick fever” (27 May 2016). https://www.soccerwire.com/resources/dure-coaches-need-to-get-a-grip-on-goal-kick-fever/