Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Small Group Defending

Warm-up Progression (10 mins)

Objective: Introduce concepts of pressure, cover, and balance.

Area: Quarter of field

Activity: Coach begins with all the balls. For threes activity, form lines A, B, and C. First players up get feet moving side on as if ball is going to be played behind. Coach can play anywhere, player must collect ball while other players gets into good covering and balancing out position. Lets say player A is played, he traps ball plays back to coach- all players return to startng position and now coach plays to B, they repeat same sequence as before. He traps and returns to coach and all players move onto back to orginal starting positions, then the last ball, repeat process and move onto physical area.

Physical area: Players jog to triangle where they start at middle, sprint to angle, backward to center, sprint to other angle, backwards to middle, sprint to do a defensive jumping header and take place of servers. Servers jog to end and get ready to play.

Coaching Points: Immediate pressure to the ball, body position to push ball inside, covering defender has appropriate distance, hips of all defenders the same, on balls of their feet, move as the ball moves, balancing player must position himself based on pressure and covering defender. Work hard through physical area.

2v2 Defending (25 mins)

Objective: Coach pressure and cover at game speed.

Area: Quarter of field split in half

Activity: Player A plays to C. Player B goes to pressure while A gets into good covering position. C tries to score on small goal. If A or B win it, try to dribble through one of the goals on their field.

Coaching Points: Immediate pressure to the ball, body position to manipulate attack, covering defender has appropriate distance, communication, fast approach-slow arrival, both defenders must check shoulders to see deep player, can we deny deep ball, keep play in front of us, desire not to be beat and not to give up a goal, when won-what's next, are we in good shape to get forward an start attack