Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): 4v4 Defending to gates

4v4 Defending to gates (20 mins)

Session Topic: Defending Principles

4v4 Defending to Gates

Stage: Stage 3

Set Up:

40 x 30 yard field (Scale to age and level of play) with 4 small goals on each side, Balls, Bibs, Cones

Time:

15 mins (4 min games to 1 min rest)

Organization:

Coach is trigger to start the game. Ball is played into the red team to start, they look to dribble through any of the 4 gates. If blue wins the ball they will look to counter and dribble through any of thier 4 gates. If ball goes out of bounds or a goal is scored coach restarts play.

Coaching Points:

1st Defender (player closest to the ball) pressures the point of attack

Speed and angle of approach (Banana run, make it obvious what way you want them to go)

Patience and Discipline (Do not dive in, Be patient, Jockey to "channel", and wait for mistake)

Balance and Cover (Make sure the team is staying compact and communicating. Know when to step and when to drop and recover. Know when to pass a mark off to your teammate and when to stay on that mark)

Communication (Eye contact, Verbal, Hand Signals) *BE SPECIFIC*

Conditioning (Pace of Play)