You must be aware that defense is the foundation of any soccer game and the drills for soccer should also teach them to conquer the opposite team’s defense.
Some of the coaches just teach defense or offence to their players. Those soccer drills are apt that train all players on defense in case the ball is with the rival team and offense when the ball is in their custody.
The moment players lose the ball’s possession, they should follow it immediately. The player who lost the ball’s custody should be leading the defense. He is the key player here who can get his rival having the custody of the ball under immense pressure as he’s adjacent to him. As a result of this, the opponent team’s player having the ball’s possession will end up making a terrible pass or giving away the ball.
Your soccer practice must take care of the fact that all other team members should fall back in case of any one out of them is running after the rival having the ball. This rival team’s player should be stopped from getting inside the team’s goal area.
The most important area of the field is the center. Your drills for soccer must therefore force the opponent with the ball to move towards the touchline. The potential of the player to pass the ball and various directions that he can go to will be limited.
The region where highest goals are scored is the arc of concentration which is also very risky. This arc is in the face of the goal. It begins from the corner post of the goal right through to the corner of the goal box and then squeezes out to the touchline. So, incorporate soccer exercises to coach your players on moving the ball out of this area as the probability of the opposition scoring a goal are maximum here.
When it comes to defending, success is achieved by maintaining a balance. Here, the players staying close to the ball play tight. This leads to the idea that they should remain in close proximity to the ball. Players who are far off from the ball play lose. This puts across the fact that they deal in positions that help them cover everyone and not just a single player.
Your team will be able to control the game when they have the ball. For this, take away the ball from your opponent as efficiently and quickly as you can. A great number of coaches commit a blunder by permitting the players to engage with the ball. This means to move with the ball without letting the opponent know and taking it away from him.
If it so happens that they miss the ball here, they will be back on the ground and opposition would get the opportunity to pounce on your goal.
So go ahead and incorporate these in your daily drills for soccer that’ll make it all the more easy for players to play a better defensive soccer game. If you wish to keep yourself updated on the happenings in the field of youth soccer, join our youth soccer coaching community and discover a wealth of knowledge, tips, articles, newsletters, videos and the like.
Andre Botelho is a recognized expert in youth soccer coaching. He influences well over 35,000 youth coaches each year with his unique coaching philosophy, and makes it really easy to explode your players’ skills and make training more fun in record time. To download your free youth soccer coaching guide visit: Drills for soccer.