Organising your players at the back is vital to the ability of your team to compete in matches. Your defenders must be able to react to the play in front of them and move accordingly. Whatever defensive formation you set up, your players will need to be able to recover to deal with the different situations on the pitch
How to defend overloads as an individual andScreen positions show how a pivot player sits in the screen position, which shields the defence. The beauty of the session is the simple way a young player can learn the role, and it has a great graphic that will help your players understand.
Now focus on the art of centre-backs in your defence. How to defend at corners and Team shape via central defenderstake the defenders into situations that require them to concentrate on maintaining their positions. The defending a corner session should be a blueprint for defending any set pieces in and around the area.
Finally, a good way of getting players to recognise their responsibilities within the defensive structure is to get them out of position then with something like a counter attack see if they know where to get back to in order to defend their goal. Position decisions is one of my favourite sessions for this.
This session looks at the roles of defenders and the goalkeeper in corner kick situations. It’s vital that, when setting up to defend a corner, each man knows his exact task, working as an individual and as part of a bigger unit within the penalty area. MORE
This session will get young centre-backs surging out of defence with the ball to set up attacks – this gives your attacking players chance to get into goal scoring positions in the final third MORE
Over the next few weeks I hope to make it easy for you to plan your route back to full training with sessions that you can use within the constraints of the numbers you can use at training. MORE
This is all about teamwork and teammates using the ball or stopping opponents from winning it. Press hard and the defenders will win the three balls in the fastest time – the clock starts ticking the second the first ball is kicked so players must move quickly. MORE
With youth soccer tentatively heading back to the playing fields now is the time to think about how and where your goals are going to come from next season. MORE
Central defenders and supporting players have a vital role in stopping the opposition’s build up play. Players will work on the defending angle of approach to try and force the attacker away MORE
A fun game that will encourage your defenders to be calm on the ball and confident in their passing. Having a defender cool enough to keep calm under pressure is an asset. This activity will help stop your defenders from panicking. MORE
Use this session to help defenders to decide whether to hold up play or win the ball when outnumbered, often the attacker will have their head down looking at the ball – the defender can hold a goalside position so the attacker has to look up which is the best time to force a mistake MORE
“I took a free trial and I was blown away by the drills; it made my training sessions so much easier. ”
