Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Improve individual and small group defending

Warm Up (15 mins)

Goal: Improve the individual's and small group defending

Player Actions: Press, Challenge, Intercept, Side on

Key Qualities: Optimal technical, physical execution, responsibility & initiative, learning ability 

Set up: Organize players into a square. The first rotation play the ball around the square with players following their pass. Once players understand the passing and moving add in the defending aspect.

Maroon Example: The passer passes the ball to a teammate and then quickly approaches, closes the downside on, and gets touch-tight to the person they passed to. Attacking player (player passed the ball much, so take three touches, giving defender time to get there and get touch tight. The objective is to improve the defending speed of the defender's approach, deceleration, and body shape. Less about how fast the ball moves around the grid. If you have more than 12 players, break into two groups.

Blue example: More advanced teaching angled, bent defensive runs. In the first rotation, play the ball around the square with players running in the opposite direction of their pass. The attacking player plays it in just like with the maroon example, but this time, instead of a straight run, they angle their run, taking away the split across and the opening up, causing the ball to go back the way it came. Players rotate in the opposite direction of the ball. Only do the angled run on the first pass. The second player in line behind the angled defender must be ready because the ball will return to them. Extra players always start in the line the ball starts in.

With 2 to 3 players in each line, have them pass around the square for 3-minute rotations. Switch directions. Switch back, and add a defender to both directions.

Coaching Interactions:

• Introduction: demonstrate both with the ball and without the ball. Allow them to experiment with it a few times both with and without the pressing defender. 

• In the flow: praise when you see quick speed of approach, timing deceleration as the player is receiving the ball, side on body shape, touch tight.

• Rotations: One-minute breaks between rotations are a great opportunity for a coach to improve defensive stance, keywords, and/or guided questions. 

Defensive technique:

• First defender: 
  • Apply pressure: travel as the ball is traveling at a sprint, slow down before the opponent's first touch
  • Body shape: get low (defensive stance), side-on with hips turned (do not let hips get square)
  • Eyes: scanning attacker's body shape, passing options, and ball, but focusing mainly at the center of the attacker's body (they aren't going anywhere without it) 
  • Initiative: Quick but in control. Communicate that you are the player stepping to put pressure.

Key Words: travel as the ball travels, slow down, side on, get low, "I got ball"

Guided Questions/Answers:

1) Show me how quickly can you get touch time with proper defensive body shape.

2) Show me proper defensive body shape.

3) Based on your side and angle of approach, which passing options are you taking away? Maroon Example: back where the ball came from Blue Example: diagonal pass and switching the point

3v3 +3 (25 mins)

Set up: The field is two penalty boxes (20 yards long x 15 yards wide) with three sections. Two sections on the ends are bigger, roughly 8 yards. Organize players into three teams of three or three teams of 4.  Coach passes the ball in. As the ball travels into the grid, one player from the middle team steps and tries to win it. If they do they quickly try to shoot on the mini goals. The attacking team is trying to connect 3 passes and get the ball across to the other side, where three players are waiting. Two central defenders can not come out of the middle grid, but they can encourage and slide side to side to stop a ball going through. If they win it in the middle, they play to the coach and rotate out while the team that lost possession rotates into defense. 

• If the ball goes out of bounds on one of the attacking teams, they defend on the other side.
• Either play 10 balls or 4 minutes. If you want the balls to stay in play, make the grid bigger according to your team's level.
• Point for getting it across, point for scoring a goal from defending to attacking.

Play for 20 minutes. 4 minutes, then rotate which team starts in the middle and collects balls. Balls in this game tend to go fast. Make sure you have a good number of balls to keep the flow in this game high. 

Coaching Interactions:

• Introduction: Demonstrate what you want to happen. Help players understand the role of defenders and attackers

• In the flow: praise when you see quick speed of approach, timing deceleration as the play is receiving the ball, side on body shape, touch tight, making play predictable, two defenders in the middle sliding back and for staying engaged.

• Rotations: One-minute breaks between rotations are a great opportunity for a coach to improve defensive stance, keywords, and/or guided questions. Because this game is fast-moving, you will need to use the rotation time wisely because, during play, you are busy playing a ball or watching instead of "coaching." This is a great opportunity to repaint a picture of a time in the set when the defensive team worked together to win the ball and possibly score a goal. Praise the good, and refrain from coaching too many things in this game because it is tempting. Stick to defending.

Defensive technique:

First defender:

• Apply pressure: travel as the ball is traveling at a sprint, slow down before the opponent's first touch
• Body shape: get low (defensive stance), side-on with hips turned (do not let hips get square)
• Eyes: scanning attacker's body shape, passing options, and ball, but focusing mainly at the center of the attacker's body (they aren't going anywhere without it)
• Initiative: Quick but in control. Communicate that you are the player stepping to put pressure.

Second and third defenders:

• Scan: Ask where and what does support looks like even when I can't go into grid
• Get connected: defenders working together, not separately. Avoid getting split in the middle section.
• Body shape: get low (defensive stance), side-on with hips turned (do not let hips get square)
• Eyes: scanning attacker's body shape, passing options, and ball
• Initiative in Communication: encourage pressing teammates to work hard. Defending is a mindset and encouragement always improves our mindset. Communicate with other defenders once the ball is passed. Same defender should not be the pressuring defender twice in a row.

Question

 1) How disappointing is it to be the pressure defender working hard in the grid, and the two support defenders aren't engaged, and the ball goes through? Very! How can we support each other better?