Football/Soccer Session (Difficult): Renegade U12 Boys: Defending Principles Week 3.1 (Start Time: 2015-04-25 12:15:00)

Stage 2 (15 mins)

2 v 2 to goal (15 min)

15 x 15. Focus on Defensive Principles - Pressure, Cover, Delay/Control, Communiaction, Counterattack. Rotate players ea 2 min. Encourage game speed, Defenders keep feet moving

CP: Pressure - Cover, Angels of cover, Distance of cover, Footwork, Mechanics, Approach, Double team, Crossing over, Zonal Defending

ESSG (15 mins)

Coaching to defend as a team (20 min)

Set Up: 45 x 60 Area. 4-2-2 v 3-2-3

Focus on "Principles of Defense": Pressure, Delay, Cover, Balance, Compactness, Control and Restraint, Counterattack

Working with Orange Team: If opposition has good posession, get into a compact shape behind the ball.

Work with the forward unit 1st: Stay compact, communicate & shift to cut passing lanes. Patience and balance to make play the ball forward difficult. Dealy the play and keep the play in front of forwards, make it difficult to play the ball forward and centrally. Look for cues to close down (Poor 1st touch, slow ball played across the back, poor pass) and nearest forward pressures the ball as the second forward squeezes and covers. Work as a unit.

Midfield unit: Take up positions in relation to the ball and opposing midfield players. Midfielders get into positions to cover, track runners, intercept and press. Midfielders and forwards react as a unit as ball moves. If forward line is broken, midfielders track across to delay, stay compact and balanced to prevent balls to be played forward. If ball is played into midfield opposition, midfielders pressure, cover as forwards recover. If ball is played wide, nearest midfielder/forward pressures, delays and forces play into cover player.

Defensive Unit: As ball travels, the three lines stay compact and balanced and shift as a unit. Consider depth & balance for balls played over the top. Balls played to striker: closest player pressures, with quick cover from good angles and distances, along with Forwards/Midfielders reaction and recovery to pressure from the front. Long Balls: Communication on who attacks the ball as cover players get into early cover positions, along with midfelders tracking runners. Balls played negative or square: Squeeze the play as a unit and move up. Read the cues for long balls played over the back line and drop the back line to create depth & balance.

3 Lines as a Unit: Stay compact, balanced and have depth in relation to where the ball is. React quickly to the cues to provide cover and recovery. Midfielders recover and track runners

Coaching Points:

- Encourage teams to play a formation of 3 units: Defense, Midfield, Forwards

- Coach only one team

- Coach the topic

- Coach pregressivly to connect the lines

- Connect lines in free play