Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Defensive compactness

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Andrew Kelly

Profile Summary

Name:	Andrew Kelly
City:	Wrexham
Country:	United Kingdom
Membership:	Adult Member
Sport:	Football/Soccer

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Techincal Practice

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Techincal Practice (20 mins)

This defending practice is part of defensive compactness and combines defending technical and skill elements.

With 3 zones in a 30 x 35 yard area, 3 defending players must begin centrally and look to cut off passing lines from the 3 players in possession and another 3 players in the opposite zone.

Once the ball has been passed across each of the 3 zones, all defenders can press. Be careful not to over press.

Key Coaching Points:

(Tactical) They must be intelligent in their pressure, covering passing lines

(Social) Limit space wide as well as through the middle as a collective unit.

(Psychological) Committed in defending technique and awareness of the opposition's strategy to play through.

Teams work for 2 minutes rotating after 2 minutes. Coaches on the outside with balls ready to feed in play to encourage the play to flow without any stopping in the 2 minutes.

Pressing into the final 3rd - players to think about the press, when to go and how to force and cover position.

Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Progression

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Progression (20 mins)

Progressions / Constraints

By introducing 2 mini goals, defenders can now finish when they win the ball, with the team losing possession becoming the defending 3.

Progress to add 2 additional goals or play line ball if goals are unavailable, giving the possession team a point every time they pass the ball from one zone to the next, with a maximum of 3 points.

Remove a mini goal, leaving 2 goals for defenders to protect. This will reduce space for defenders to cover, allowing them to pick up runners easier.

Questions

What is the objective of the practice and how does this impact on your decision making?

How do the progressions influence your marking of space?

Are you more aggressive in your press, or more defensive protecting space and why?