Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Defending 1v1

Warm up: Shadow Defending (15 mins)

Organization: have players pair up. Do this in 40x30 yd area.

Instructions: 1 player is the shadow defender and 1 player is the attacker trying to change direction often to make it hard for to be shadowed perfectly. Attackers steps should be shuffling, forward, backward, and changing it up. On the way down stay with attacker's movements. On the way back switch roles.

Coaching Points: (1) Watch hips of player you are shadowing. (2). On the balls of your feet and small steps to change direction and pace quickly. (3). Angle on. Always have a front foot to pivot quickly. (4). Knees bent and feet shoulder width apart.

Progressions: (1). Shuffling face to face. (2). Running side to side. (3). Running forward shadowing to run backward.

Conditioned Game: Defending 1 v. 1 (20 mins)

Organization: -3 Teams Red attacking and Blue defending. Yellow team neutral targets.

Use cones or pug goals to make 4 goals in corners of area. 40x40 yd area.

Coaching Points:

(1). Verbal communication "I got ball".

(2). When to high press (defender faced back to goal, bad first touch, big touch negative).

(3). Early pressure and recognition of player with ball.

Progression: (1). No scoring to goals. Possession. Attacking team must complete 6 passes for a point. Man marking. (2). New defender must pressure ball after each pass. No more man marking. (3). Play game to goals. Try to win ball early and go to goal.