Soccer Defensive Strategies For Your Team
Soccer Defensive Strategies : Soccer is played with 11 players on both sides on a rectangular field. Many other forms of soccer have also sprung up and are fast gaining popularity like Indoor soccer.
It’s a difficult task for 11 players to play with eleven people on one team because every player has his opinion and distinct style of play. Every player has his designated position on the field, ranging from defenders, midfielders to strikers.
The game of soccer stands on the four pillars of understanding, support, communication, and belief. A winning team includes every player and every position to the best of their ability. Communication is the key to move forward and attack and is equally important to fall back and defend. Support and understanding help the players gel and unite as a team. And most importantly, the belief that you can win, sets your team apart. Soccer is not only a game, it’s a war. And wars are won first in the mind, need tactics, and strategies. Let me share a few with you;
Defensive Soccer Strategies: Defence is at the core of a team, as it is the barrier between the goal and the opposition. Defenders need to be responsive, strong, and quick-thinkers, because a split-second decision can make a lot of difference. Remember, it’s all in the mind.
A defender is only as strong, as he believes himself to be. The sight of an agile striker charging at the goal is not a pleasing one, but a defender has to stand up for his side and perform to the best of his ability.
A defensive formation must ensure proper cover for the goal, and should attempt to cut down any loose balls or weak passes. Generally, two defenders play the part of ‘full backs’. The other two can play as defensive midfielders or wingbacks. This improves the flexibility of a team and helps adapt to any situation.
A team is as good as the communication between its players. The desire to win is what makes a team, ‘The Team’. Doing your best does not promise the spark of silverware. But doing your best as a team, believing in your teammates, and a never-say-die approach surely helps players on their road towards success.
How to defend in soccer: Some of the basic things on how to defend in soccer have been outlined for you. These skills are imperative especially if you are playing in defence. Yet, other positions can also benefit from them.
Containing an opponent – When containing an opponent player you need to lower the centre of your gravity by first bending your knees and then leaning forward. You may also do an about-turn if your opponent starts to move sideways. You should never run straight at your opponent. It will make it very easy for him to get around you. Instead, show persistence and let him make the first move.
Block Tackle – This one is great for getting the possession of the ball from your opponent while keeping your balance. A block tackle is performed by first placing your non-kicking foot in a position that will make it possible to maintain good balance.
Then, the moment your opponent touches the ball, you need to put your kicking foot quickly in the direction in which your opponent starts moving. If you carry out this tackle with strength and full concentration, your opponent will not have a slight chance against you.
Poke Tackle – This type of tackle will allow you to simply take the ball away from your opponent. On the other hand, you must remember to use the foot that is currently closer to the ball. You can’t always expect to gain possession of the ball as this method is a little risky.
Slide Tackle – This is a very effective strategy but can also be quite dangerous if you don’t understand what you are doing. A slide tackle should be used as the last tackling option. For instance, if you feel that you can’t attain the ball by using a poke or block tackle you may then use a slide tackle.
Although this tackle may seem to be pretty easy to perform, you must not forget that a block tackle should never be your first option when the opponent is approaching you.
Soccer Defending Drills:
The most important division of a good soccer team is a strong defence. Without a strong defence your team will not get any good results. The number goals scored have no relevance if your players don’t know how to stop their opponents from scoring. By making use of the defensive drills given below, you will greatly improve upon your soccer teams’ defensive skills.
There are more than a few defensive soccer drills but knowing what type of drills you should focus on can be little tricky, especially if you are new when it comes to “soccer coaching”. So we are going to focus mainly on the defensive feature of soccer.
There are two very common defensive soccer drills you can use while teaching your players how to defend:
Group Defending: The drill covers several features of the actual or live soccer situations and makes the players work together. Decisiveness is the most important role of group defending.
Drill Set Up: Divide your players into defenders and attackers. Give each attacking player a ball. You may use cones or similar props to create a rectangular field.
Performing the Drill: Team without the ball will play as defenders while the other team as the attackers . Make sure that the attacker’s team should have 2 more players than the defenders team. The attackers should try to retain the possession of the ball by vigorously searching for free space inside the rectangle. The defenders should try to spot as many players as possible. However, there will always be 2 unspotted players.
While performing this drill, the team which will be defending should all apply pressure inside the box which will make it difficult for the attackers to find passing alternatives.
Central Defence: The purpose of the drill is to improve your defenders cooperation.
Drill Set Up: Divide your players into two parts; defenders and attackers. The attackers should have one ball each with them. To create the ring you can use cones or some other similar props.
Performing the Drill: You should start with arranging the team of attackers in a circle. Their main task is then to keep the ball away from the defenders. Defenders will be positioned inside the circle and if the attacker loses the ball he should become a defender in and the defender who caused him to lose the ball captures his possession.
You may also add variations to this drill by adding 1 or 2 more defenders.
Leave your feedback below!
Yours in soccer,
Andre Botelho
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Thanx coach, your articles have made me a better youth coach. I live in the town of Nakuru, Kenya and your continued mail of soccer manuals have helped me a great deal coach my young disadvantaged kids of the neighbourhood.
Goodmorning from the Philippines. I just want you to know that I greatly appreciate your generosity in supporting neophyte coaches like me. By reading your articles and exercising drills you shared, I could say that my team starts to improved. God bless and again, thank you.
Thank you for the input abaout the defender and i can tell you that you are 100% wright about the team work is very importent.Anyway i will use this drills tom improve my young players.Thank you i more time for the drills that you have given
I regularly peruse your articles, and find them ever-refreshing. I am a senior etam coach, but always find something worth-noting.
With regards;
good morning, i need a goal keeper lessons
thanks you
Thank you coach you are just wonderful with your articles and tactics you have made me a wonderful coach you have inspired me lot .thank you.Am from KAKAMEGA KENYA
The drills, coaching techniques and creative way of coaching and training I got from your tips has greatly helped me in coaching a group of 4-11 year old kids I have gathered. These kids are very enthusiastic about soccer football. At the moment I am coaching them because of my love for soccer and I just love to see kids play good soccer.
I am from Iloilo City, Philippines.
THANKS
Thanks for the drills but I question the number of balls used. You said to give each attacker a ball in these drills. Who are they to pass to if everyone is occupied with their own ball? This means it is simply a dribbling skills from one player keeping it away from the other. To me it would be more effective to only use one or two balls in the box so that attackers have the option to dribble or pass which is more like the real game.