Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Defensive Positioning

Defensive Positioning (25 mins)

Organisation:

25x36 Pitch

Split into two 25x18 halfs.

Two Teams

Two Wide Goals at one end

One Central Goal at the opposite end

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Rules:

Blues try to Dribble through the two Wide goals to score. Reds try to Dribble through the one Central goal to score. If a team loses possession, the nearest player can try and win the ball back immediately if they want, but the rest of the team must immediately retreat to their own half and defend from there.

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Coaching Points:

-Reds must try to force their opponents inside the pitch, using body position, support of 2nd and 3rd defenders, and Compactness in Wide Areas.

-Blues must try to force their opponents outside the pitch, using body position, support of 2nd and 3rd defenders and compactness in the central area of the pitch

-Body Position of Closest Defender - Showing Which Way?

-Position of 2nd Defender - Helping Show Which Way?

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Progressions:

-add orange cones in. Players can now pass the ball through a goal to score once they get past the orange cones - Players must now close down higher up the pitch

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Time:

-Play for 10 minutes then swap teams around and play for a further 10 minutes