Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Week 4 - Defending as a Pairs - Game Based Constraint Lead. (Start Time: 2025-01-27 17:00:00)

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Name:	Robert Spour
City:	Gainsborough
Country:	United Kingdom
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Description

Topic: Game based approach topic is defending as a pair. Individual framework topic is 1v1 dominance.

Intentions: The session intends to work on defending in pairs while focusing on the indivvidual within the pair dominating in their 1v1. Through high repition the players wiill be exposed to many varied attacking situations they defend in their pair. Learning outcomes will be work as a pair to disrupt build up play, and prevent scoring chances. Within the individual framework coaching will take place around shutting the opponent down. The body shape, and position relative to the player, and the ball. Use of arms and body when defending in a 1v1 situation and how as individuals and pairs we Delay, dictate, and then Deny.

Aim: The aim of the session is to coach defending as a pair. Improving understanding and communication as a pair when distrubting build ups, and denying scoring chances will enable us to prevent opposition teams from scoring goals and enable us to start transitional moments where we turn defence in to attack.

Principles of Play: Games based sessions will see the players challanged relevant to role across all priciples of play. But, the sessions focus, and coaching intentions will be focused around the defensive principles. Primary importance is that players show a use of these principles practically. But we should be starting to embed the terminology and understanding of the word by definition within the players to aid future discussions, coaching, and understanding.

Press
Provide Cover
Be compact
Balance
Delay
Patience

Core Technical Skills: Through the attacking repetitions the varied game based decisions of the attacking team will dictate as to what and when the different techhnical skills of defending are tested, and applied. The players will be challaged on executuing all of the core defensive skills across the session

Intercepting
Pressing
Marking
Challanging
Covering/Recovering

Player Engagement: High intensiity, High ball rolling, Goals for both attacking teams and defending teams, positive and entusiastic coaching, Looks like football. Paint the in game picture and help players visualise it in a matchday application.

Individual Player Profiling: AODs of Focus: ON - Use of body. CS - 1v1 defendiing principles OT - 2 player key moves

Coach Behaviours: In part confidence without being overbearing. Praise positive outcome. Be aware that this session really plays in to the psychological pillar concentraion so Positive feedback and reinforcement when seeing observable behaviours, like understanding and applying quickly. Decision making and leadership should be evident within the pairs.

Safety Considerations: This is a physical session. Players will be encouarged to use their bodies. Coaches to check they applying use of arms/body in an appropriate manner.

Additional Notes:

Prior Planning (Extra): Discussion with Co-coach about roles between coaches. Both engaging in interventions. Co-coach to assist the Attacking phases with ideas by question design to draw out OT ILP AOD and also add varied challange to the defending pairs.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Phase 1

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Learning Objectives

	Technical Challaging. Use of front foot.
	Tactical Positional awareness. Ability to work relevant to a partner.
	Physical Strength. Use of Body. Sprints. Use of Arms. ABCs.
	Psychological Sessions Pillar: Contentraion. Respond quickly to instructions. Show understanding quickly. Don’t need to be told many times
	Social Leadership. Verbal communication. Assisting team mates. Team Work.

Phase 1 (30 mins)

Title: 1v1 Gates

Practice Spectrum: Match Up. Opposed. Directional. Scored. ILP focus within this phase all 3. Use Co-coach to observe and support here while overseeing the group.

STEP:

S: 2 gates 20m apart. No Lines.
T: 10 minutes free play on arrival. Observed after expalnation. 12 minutes. W3 R1 x 3. Coaching intterventions as mentioned in session intentions. Relevant to 1v1 defensive principles and dominating a 1v1.
E: Cones (for gates) Balls. (Quick and easy to get going) White board with Session topics and learning outcomes set-up ready.
P: Expecting 10-12 outfield. Playing in 1 v 1. If an odd number create a 2v1 for challange. OT in the attacking two to match ILP AOD.

Explanation Of Phase: Taking it in turns to start with the ball. The player zips a pass in to opposite player. Then live one 1v1. The recieving player is then the attacker trying to beat the defender and dribble through the gate. The defender looks to win the duel and break out with ball through gate to score. Reset and opposite player serves.

Constraint: None for first 10. After session explanation. No taking it in turns. Defender defends until they successfully win their dual and break out. Then roles swap.

Block 2 swap who starts as defender. Play to 15 second time limit in dual (on whistle).

Questions: When shutting down your opponent how would you describe the speed at which you did it, why? Once you've shut them down what do you need to do relavant to speed? What else did you do when defending to help you win your duals? What could you have applied better?

Challanges:

Coaching Points: Speed of shut down. Body and pitch position relevative to opposition. How are we dictating the direction the attacker goes? Stepping off direct line of the ball. Timing of the Deny.

External Factors:

Interventions: Observation to gauge players applications of principals based on current stored references and capabilities. Good session intro, coaches demo. 1v1 drive bys if neccessary in moment. Then use rest breaks and follow up qurestions to get guided answers with demos.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Phase 2

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Learning Objectives

	Technical Challaging. Use of front foot.
	Tactical Positional awareness. Ability to work relevant to a partner.
	Physical Strength. Use of Body. Sprints. Use of Arms. ABCs.
	Psychological Sessions Pillar: Contentraion. Respond quickly to instructions. Show understanding quickly. Don’t need to be told many times
	Social Leadership. Verbal communication. Assisting team mates. Team Work.

Phase 2 (30 mins)

Title: Break out to score

Practice Spectrum: Match up. Oppossed. Directional. Scored. Progress to attacking overload for challange to really test the defending pair if suitable.

STEP:

S: Each working area 20x30m (Real Pitch Size) Golden zone (cones 8m from posts)
T: 30 Minutes W4 R1 * 6. In 3 Blocks, 2 sets of each block. Looking for improvement in defensive principles after interventions.
E: 2 big goals. 2 mini goals. Cones for golden zone, and edges.
P: 4 defenders ( 2 must be the players with the relevant ILP focuses) Rest split in to attacking pairs for wave practice/repition attacks. (OT must play attack to bring out 2 player combos AOD)

Explanation Of Phase: Defender serves attacking pair. Quality of pass, and ball striking method a focus. Replicates a breaking lines pass forward. Attackers recieve and attack the goal. Defenders are to delay, dictate, and then deny... steal and trasition in to attack. Left half is example of how it starts. Right half is progressing to a diferent starting positions. Progress to 3 attacking players if suitable. Rotate serving players for variety and application of actions by all involved.

Constraint: Strikers can score from anywhere with a two touch finish (with exception of first recieving player). Score in the golden zone for double goals. Defenders get 15 seconds in transition to finish break out. Goal for breaking out through a dribble gate. Double goals for passing through mini goal (''line breaking pass forward'')

Remove two touch finish rule to assist attackers, and add challange to defending team.

Questions: How did we delay the attack? What did we do that we learned in the 1v1s to dicatate the play? What triggers were we looking for to pounce? Why do we think the break out goal is worth double goals?

Challanges: Can we improve on our score from set one (goals conceded)? Show us the understanding of how to be patient when defending?

Coaching Points: Rediscuss the points from the 1v1 dominance. Ask the players about how they decided what heir role was and how they applied it well. Discuss closing off the middle by shutting off progress lines. Defending distances from own goal. What does the position on the pitch tell us in relation to decision making when breaking out?

External Factors: Players available.

Interventions: Question lead for guiding out learning outcomes. Help the players provide the solutions from their own ideas and reasoning

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Phase 3

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Learning Objectives

	Technical Challaging. Use of front foot.
	Tactical Positional awareness. Ability to work relevant to a partner.
	Physical Strength. Use of Body. Sprints. Use of Arms. ABCs.
	Psychological Sessions Pillar: Contentraion. Respond quickly to instructions. Show understanding quickly. Don’t need to be told many times
	Social Leadership. Verbal communication. Assisting team mates. Team Work.

Phase 3 (25 mins)

Title: Match

Practice Spectrum: Normal game rules (with exception of constraints)

STEP:

S: 40x30m
T: 25 W7 R1 x 3
E: Bibs, Cones, Balls, Goals
P: 6v6 in a 1-2-3 Formation. If less numbers remove players from striking positions first. Keep the defensive pair!

Explanation Of Phase: Play a game. Talk about the intentions we've already imbedded. Playing through the thirds (Fast forward thinking play). Creating in wide areas. Tonights learning. Match day intentions. Apply them. Show consolidation of leaning objectives.

Constraint:

Block 1: Defenders and Attackers restricted to their half of the pitch

Block 2: OT Scores or assists with 2 player combo double goals. ON or CS deny and then play a line breaking assist double goals. Deny and break out to score 3 goals. OT to play on opposite team to ON and CS. Does the constraint hinder the defending pairs teamwork?

Block 3: Free play. Observe them play and apply the topics learning

Questions: What was tonights topic? What was the individual frame work? Can some one give me (and explain what they mean) one or all of the 3 D's? What else have you learned tonight to help improve your defending.

Challanges: Presented within constraints above.

Coaching Points: Previous two phases points within the game context.

External Factors:

Interventions: In breaks. Quick explanation and play. Test the psychological pillar here. If players need a further explanation, can a team mate provide it?

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