It’s rare that different team sports are all working on the same strategy at the same time, but there’s an exciting new strategy that is gripping the world’s coaches.

“Pressing” is a defensive philosophy designed to put pressure on your opponent as soon as they transition into attack.

Historically, pressing was used situationally because it is slightly risky, and physically taxing. Why expose your team defensively or drain the energy of your players when there are less strenuous strategies to win the ball back?

But pressing has undergone a makeover.

It has developed from bit-part player to a fully-fledged superstar.

Pressing is now its own defensive strategy.

Whether you coach soccer, basketball, field hockey, water polo, rugby, ice hockey, lacrosse, Aussie Rules, or handball…everyone is developing their pressing philosophy.

But there are some misconceptions about pressing that should be addressed, because they open up important new thought paradigms for coaches to explore.