Equipment Needed
- Balls
- Cones to mark lanes
Mark the riding lanes
A set of field cones makes it easy to lay out consistent riding lanes so pressure stays organized.
Shop Agility Cones on Amazon As an Amazon Associate, FreeCoachingDrills.com earns from qualifying purchases.Setup
- Attack (riders) line up near the midline; defense and goalie start with the ball in their own end simulating a clear.
- Assign each rider a lane or a specific clearing defender to shadow.
Instructions
- As the defense clears the ball, riders apply pressure to the ball carrier first, forcing a quick or rushed decision.
- Off-ball riders shade toward the passing lanes rather than chasing the ball, cutting off the easy outlet.
- If the ball is forced into a sideline or trapped area, converge as a group to force the turnover.
- Reset after every clear attempt, whether the ride succeeds or the defense clears successfully, and rotate riders with clearers.
Coaching Points
- The first rider should influence the ball carrier's direction (toward a sideline or a teammate) rather than just chasing it.
- Riders without the direct pressure assignment must still move — a static rider gives the clear an easy outlet.
- Communicate constantly about who has the ball carrier and who is covering which passing lane.
- Riding is about controlled pressure, not wild chasing; a disciplined shape forces more turnovers than an aggressive scramble.
Variation
Practice riding down a player to simulate a man-down transition situation, or set a shot clock for the clearing team to add game-like urgency to both sides.