A forward pass is not always progress. A player may receive beyond an opponent, break the first line and appear to have moved the team forward, but the real value of that action depends on what happens next. If the receiving player cannot play forward, combine or help the team exploit the new space, the opposition may simply recover its shape and remove the advantage.

This distinction matters because coaches can become focused on the visible action of breaking a line. We praise the pass that travels through pressure, but we do not always examine the picture created after it. Progress should not be judged only by where the ball finishes. It should also be judged by whether the action changes the relationship between the attacking team, the opposition and the available space.

For the receiving player, the work begins before the ball arrives. They must scan the position and movement of nearby opponents, recognise where the next pressure may come from and understand which teammates can support the next action. Their body position can then help them receive forward, protect the ball, set a teammate or move the opposition again. Receiving beyond one line is useful; receiving with the information and physical position to affect the next line is far more valuable.

The players around the receiver are equally important. One player may provide support underneath, another may stretch the opposition’s last line and a third may move outside the defensive block. These movements turn an isolated forward pass into a collective attacking action. Without them, the receiver can become surrounded and possession may be forced backwards despite the initial line break.

This is why I often frame the next stage as Recognise, Create and Exploit. First, players recognise how the opposition has reacted. They then create an advantage through movement, support, width, rotation or an overload. Finally, they exploit it before the opposition can reorganise. These stages are connected, but players must learn to identify when the picture has changed and when a different solution is required. The free IP01 Breaking Lines session plan develops this process across physical preparation, positional work, three linked practices, a transfer game and player reflection.

Practice design should therefore continue beyond the first successful pass. If a team scores merely by playing into a target player, the practice may reward line breaking without developing what follows it. Coaches can instead create a second objective: combine with a third player, enter the next zone, attack a mini-goal or finish within a limited period after breaking pressure. The condition should make the next problem visible without prescribing one fixed answer.

Coach interventions should also focus on information rather than only execution. Instead of asking why the player did not pass forward, we might ask what they saw before receiving, where the next pressure came from or which movement could have protected the advantage. This helps players connect perception, decision-making and execution rather than treating the forward pass as an isolated technical action.

Ultimately, breaking pressure should create an opportunity—not mark the end of the attack. The purpose is to disorganise the opposition and give the team a better chance of progressing, creating or finishing. Coaches should therefore look beyond whether a line was broken and ask the more important question: did we recognise and exploit what the line break created?

Explore the complete IP01 Breaking Lines session plan, or browse the full Coach NC session-plan library for practical examples of helping players play through, around and over pressure.

References and further reading