Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): Defensive Principles

Profile Summary

Barry McGrellis
Name: Barry McGrellis
City: Alexandria
Country: United States of America
Membership: Adult Member
Sport: Football/Soccer
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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Warm Up

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Warm Up
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Warm Up (15 mins)

Footwork warm-up

-Players with a ball each in designated area

-Emphasis on keeping the ball within touching distance

-Players get sets of 200 (both feet), 100 (weak foot), 80 (strong foot), 70 (alternate feet), and 50 (no designation) touches

-Every 10 touches players perform an assigned turn (pull back, L, V, Cruyff)


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): 2 v 2 Defending

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): 2 v 2 Defending
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2 v 2 Defending (20 mins)

2v2 defending: Same game as before but now the first defender has a cover defender.

Coaching points

-Introduce pressure and cover defence

-2nd defender positioning to the side and slightly behind first defender (demonstrate the pass between 2 flat defenders)

-2nd defender must position body so that they can see both the ball and the 2nd attacker

-show transition in relation to ball movement, for example if x were to pass to y, then B would become the pressuring (1st) defender and A would become the cover (2nd) defender.

-1st defender should use the principles from the 1v1 game (bending approach run, body position) to force attacker towards the 2nd defender


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Defending as a Unit of 3

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Defending as a Unit of 3
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Defending as a Unit of 3 (20 mins)

Defending as a unit of 3: The blue team score points by making 3 passes in their zone and then successfully passing from one zone to the other, the reds must work as a unit of 3 to prevent those passes from happening. Players cannot leave their zones.

Coaching Points

-1st defender will change depending on position of the ball

-Quick pressure, bend run, position body

-2nd defender must provide cover and narrow the passing lane between themself and the first defender

-Beside and slightly behind 1st defender

-3rd defender must narrow the passing lane between themself and the 2nd defender and provide BALANCE for the unit

-Explain that this means they must be ready to swing around and become either a 1st or 2nd defender depending on what the blue team does with the ball.


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Conditioned Game

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Conditioned Game
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Conditioned Game (20 mins)

Conditioned Game

Regular scrimmage but teams must force the ball toward the center of the field in the attacking half and towards the outside of the field in the defensive half.Condition forces continuous repetitions of defensive principles.

Emphasise how the shape of the first defender's approach run changes in each half.

Second and third defender positioning must change in response to where the first defender forces the ball.


Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Scrimmage

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Football/Soccer Session Plan Drill (Colour): Scrimmage
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Scrimmage (15 mins)

Scrimmage

Reinforce all previous coaching points and coach players individually without pausing play.


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