One thing that coaches are often guilty of doing, is brushing over defending as a topic to cover during training sessions, particularly during high school seasons, when your time is limited due to the number of matches. In addition, some coaches, like me, play the game in a much more attacking way, which tends to focus on the time from gaining possession to scoring. Self-admittedly, this overlooks one key factor- to gain possession, you must first DEFEND.

Defending is also a much less glamorous position to hold and a much less exciting component or skill to practice. Every player wants to get out on the field, beat guys 1v1 and score goals . . . ALL DAY! But a team that struggles to defend- individually or as a unit- will struggle to win games. Therefore, we must focus on defensive responsibilities of individual players and as a team regularly.

Roles of the Individual Defender

1. Closing down the attacker- taking away the space between the nearest defender and the attacking player. This should be done quickly, however, defenders should slow down their pace as they approach the attacker. Moving at full pace limits the defenders opportunities at reacting to the movement of the ball due to momentum.
2. Pressure- the nearest defender should move toward the ball to slow the attack and prevent a forward pass.
3. Stance- players should always utilize a proper defensive stance- knees are bent, chest is leaning slightly forward, feet are about shoulder-width apart and staggered (one foot forward), always be on the balls of your feet (toes), remain active in order to make small adjustments
4. Steering the attacker- positioning your defensive stance in a way that shepherds or pushes an attacker into a desired location on the field (toward the touchline, inside, etc.)
5. Jabbing at or gaining possession of the ball- timing an attempt at poking away or winning the ball.

Golden Rules of Individual Defending:

1. Always defend from the “goal side”- Position yourself between the goal and the attacker
2. Be patient- "contain" attacking players toward the flanks or at midfield to allow your teammates to cover. This also forces attackers to have to think about what they are going to do, which often leads to mistakes or poor touches.
3. Recovery- When you get beaten, recover to the “goal side” (back and center of the field) as fast as you can before trying to win the ball
4. No Diving- Do not “dive in” to try and steal the ball. A skilled player is just waiting for a defender to do this so that he can use a move to get by the defender.
5. Don't turn your back- players often want to turn their backs on a shot or pass as a means of avoiding the pain of getting hit with the ball. But turning your back to avoid getting hit is only setting you up to be beaten by a “fake” move. With your back to the player, you have little opportunity to react appropriately and end up chasing them down.
6. Limit Slides- Slide tackling should only take place if you are certain you will get the ball or you are in an act of desperation. Poor tackling can lead to costly fouls and penalties.

Key Principles of 1 v. 1 Defensive Pressure:
Quick Pressure- The player nearest the ball must “close the space” as quickly as possible as soon as the ball is played to his opponent. You should close ground on your opponent as the ball is traveling to the attacker, do not wait until he/she has received the ball. Defender has three priorities:

• Intercept the Pass- if you can anticipate the attackers’ actions, but never commit to this unless you are sure you can get there.
• Challenge the First touch- Be in a position that you can “steal” the ball off of a poor first touch.
• Contain the attacker- Deny space to turn or pass in a penetrating manner.

Touch Tight Pressure (within touching distance/arms length)- When closing down space, it is important that you don’t overrun the play. As a rule you should slow down about 5 yards from the attacker and gradually take away the remaining space in a controlled defensive position.

• You want to be in a position that the attacker feels uncomfortable, and if he makes a mistake you can win the ball.
• You are close enough that you limit the attackers’ vision of the field.
• You cut off forward passing lanes, making play more predictable for your supporting defenders.

Patient Pressure- Good defenders will recognize that they do not need to win the ball immediately. If you approach the attacker quickly and under control, taking away his space, you will shift the initiative to the attacker. Most attacking chances are created through poor and impatient defending. General rules for “Patient pressure” are:

• Don’t Dive In
• Be Cool and Alert- Ready to take the ball when it’s exposed
• Tackle with Confidence-  Be quick enough to poke the ball away or hard enough to send the ball forward through the attacker.

Problem Areas for Defenders
As you can see the role of the first defender is vital to the success of team defending. If we do a poor job in applying pressure to the ball and taking away the attackers options the whole defensive system will suffer. It is very important that we spend time teaching each player the principles of individual defending. The 1 vs. 1 is the foundation of the game. This doesn’t just apply to the attacking principle, but defensive as well.

Throughout most matches, the transition from defense to offense- or offense to defense- will usually go through the midfield players who are tasked with supporting either the forwards or attacking midfield players or the defense. They must have vision to see where to pass, and the skill and speed to execute their tactics.

Here is the biggest non-committal phrase in soccer: "It depends." Players often ask questions about what to do and invariably, my answer will include this phrase. So much of our decision making truly depends on the dynamics of the moment. So coaching this game, and especially transition, is tricky.

A few key points for midfielders to be aware of when transitions from defense to offense:

1. Is there an opportunity for a fast break attack?
   • The real question here is, "Can I play the ball long or wide to create an overload opportunity?" The keys to a fast break are quickness of play and taking advantage of defensive weaknesses in the moment.
2. What opportunities do I have in progressing the ball forward to a teammate?
   • I once had a coach tell me this- "Your first option, when a player is available, is to always to play the ball forward, the second option is to play a ball to an available player square, and the last option in attack is to play the ball back." Can I make a killer pass? Where is the available space on the field?
3. Should I slow down play?
   • Sometimes, the best thing for a midfield player to do is change the tempo of the game or wait for their teammates to get into position. Midfielders must be able to read the game in a way that is productive and effective.

The more players play and watch the sport, the more they begin to understand the tactical options they have. It may also depend on the style of play that a particular team or club is trying to foster. For example, Barcelona and Spain became legendary for a style of play called "Tiki-Taka". In tiki-taka, a team focuses on possessing the ball through short passes and movement that exposes and takes advantage of channels on the field. The central idea is to possess and move the ball so quickly that the defensive players get out of shape and forward passes can penetrate to skillful forwards and wingers.

Liverpool play an attacking style that Jurgen Klopp has famously called "Heavy Metal Football". This is a direct style of play that employs a few key components:

• Gegenpressing-  this is immediate pressing on the loss of the ball and pressing high up the pitch. "The best moment to win the ball is immediately after your team just lost it,” Klopp has said. “The opponent is still looking for orientation where to pass the ball. He will have taken his eyes off the game to make his tackle or interception and he will have expended energy. Both make him vulnerable.

• Fast break attack utilizing the long pass. This is a not "boot ball". This is strategically playing a long ball to a player, usually a midfielder, or into space where the player can gain possession of the ball and either attack the goal directly or combine with teammates to score a goal.

In a nutshell, the style requires intensity, creativity, quick thinking and quick strikes.

Space- in soccer, it’s sometimes THE FINAL FRONTIER . . . . Learning the power of available spaces on the field can be powerful for any player or team. It can be a difficult concept for some players to learn, mostly because they are accustomed to playing sports where the idea is to pass a ball directly to a person, not behind them or well in front of them. But in soccer, it’s often the key to a dynamic and successful attack.

The first trick in understanding space is knowing when and when not to play a ball there. Often times, our best option is to play a ball directly to a player- feet, head, etc. To make things even more difficult, players have to make these decisions in seconds. They need to be able to read attacking patterns on the field and often under pressure from a defender, especially during indoor where space is limited and pressure is tight.

Liverpool FC (The greatest club in the world! . . . I'm required to say that), are perhaps one of the best teams to demonstrate the ways in which playing to space or feet can be productive in attack, and usually through combination play that results in scoring opportunities. Take a few minutes to watch this highlight compilation from LFC's 2018 campaign to see what great attacking runs and combinations look like:

Playing the ball into space requires three very important things to take place:

1. A player, off the ball, making or initiating a run into the space
2. The player with the ball recognizing the run
3. The player with the ball getting the ball into space and how to get it there

So, how do we initiate a run into space? Often times, it's simply making a timed run off the ball. The player sees the space and makes a run toward that direction- sometimes communicating to the player with the ball through gestures or verbal cues. The other ways include making "check runs". During a check run, a player runs toward the player with the ball and then changes direction to move into the space. The strategic idea behind a check run is to bring your defender with you and then to use your change of direction run as a means of gaining an advantage.

Similarly, players can create space on the field by simply moving on the field. Similar to a check run, this is intended to drag a defender away from a space, thereby making the space available for another teammate to run onto the space and exploit it.

Types of Runs:

The bottom line- players spend MOST of their time on the field WITHOUT THE BALL. Understanding their usefulness and the advantages they can create are extremely important for every player.

Strong legs. Fast reflexes. Pure speed. Soccer players boast some serious athletic attributes. Here’s how to get them.

Forgetting for a moment the sheer distance covered in a match (about seven miles), what might be most impressive about soccer players are their razor-sharp moves. A pass fake to thread between defenders, stealing the ball from an opponent dribbling down the field, pulling a 180 to scissor-kick the ball mid-air—all require fast feet and reflexes. Also known as agility. So what is it, exactly? The basis of agility is acceleration. The ability to speed up, decelerate, change direction, reaccelerate.

Much of our training at U14 builds in agility to our drills and scrimmages. But agility is different from endurance. Agility workouts require training at 95 to 100 percent of max effort, meaning you’re getting up to an all-out sprint during every run. To ensure that intensity, sessions have short active periods and long rests. Coaches also often build in sport-specific skills like swerves, cuts, and drop-steps, to mimic on-field action. Agility has obvious benefits on the pitch and doing agility work at a high intensity may have brain benefits, too. A University of Copenhagen study suggests that working at 90 percent of your max can improve motor memory consolidation—the brain’s ability to retain new motor skills.

Due to our lack of time in training, players MUST maintain their physical fitness independently. Here are some exercises players can, and should do, in order to build and maintain speed, agility, strength and endurance:

Strength Exercises