Football/Soccer Session (Moderate): Defending

1 touch, shoot, defend (25 mins)

Objectives: This practice is a high tempo shooting exercise designed to improve accuracy and power. This is also an intense work out for your goalkeepers and defending players.

Setup: Full Size Goal with Goalkeeper Penalty Area Supply of Balls

Instructions: Two cones are positioned 20 yards from goal and 15 yards apart. Players are divided into four groups. Two groups with balls, stand either side of the goal. Two groups stand at each cone .A goalkeeper is placed in goal.

The practice starts when the first player in “group 1” passes to the first player in “group 2” and follows her pass to pressure the ball. The player in “group 2” has only “one touch” to control the ball then she must shoot at goal. It is then repeated from the other side of the goal. Play for 3 minutes then swap roles. Defenders become strikers, striker become defenders.

Focus On:

Be aggressive going to goal

Accuracy over Power

Reacting to rebounds

Goalkeepers shot stopping

Closing the Ball down quickly

Shot Blocking

Transitional Defending

Setup: Divide the field in two halves as showed in

One Gk, six Blue players (offense) and four White players (defense) in the first half.

One GK and two White players (defense) in the second half.

The game is played for set period of time or until a team reaches a certain score.

Instructions

The game begins with the Blue team keeping the ball away from White team (6 vs. 4). After making 4 consecutive passes, the Blue team (with the ball under their possession) and two White players move to the second half. After moving to the second half, the Blue team tries to score as fast as they can while the White team tries to recovery on defense as fast as they can in order to try to protect

their goal and steal the ball from Blue team.

Defenders Win the Ball

If the White team wins the ball in the first half, they pass it to their teammates on the other half , start connecting passes, and try to do the same thing the Blue team was doing in the beginning of the game (4 consecutive passes and move to the other half to try to score. )

If the defending team (It can be White or Blue team. It depends who has the ball possession at that moment) wins the ball in the second half clear it wide and the attacking team starts the game over again from the first half.

Variation

If the defending team steals the ball, they become attacking team and play a 6 vs. 6 until the ball goes out of play or the defending team regains the ball possession and cross the half-line.

Coaching Points

Team Work (Cooperation)

Defensive and Offensive awareness

Anticipation

Decision Making

Accurate Passes

Transition Quickly (defense to offense and offense to defense)

Recovery Play

Good Defending – The defending team must adjust based on who has the ball, where

players are on the field etc.

Good Attacking – The team in possession should make runs off the ball to create space

for themselves and teammates.