Basic Defending

Introduction to Defending
The concept of defending is one of the more overlooked items in teaching
players the game of soccer. We will break this section on defending down into
team principles, individual principles and drills so that you can get an idea of how
what concepts to get across and how to get them across.

What you will usually see with younger players is everyone going for the ball at
once.

As the players get a little older the more aggressive steal the ball consistently
from the less aggressive, and the less skilled, simply by running straight at them.

This of course works at the younger levels, but as the players develop, and the
skill differential decreases, this type of play actually becomes a detriment. Overly
aggressive players who try to simply run down their opponents and strip the ball
at the travel level often times find themselves missing completely and watching
the backs of their opponents as they head down field.

This is not to say that aggressiveness is not important, merely to say that
controlled play, especially on defense, is what we want to teach them at a young
age so that they carry it forward with them as they progress.

What we need to get across to our youngsters is that defense, like the entire
game, is dependent upon their teammates, as well as themselves, to do their job.

Concepts of Defending

You will hear the terms First Defender, Second Defender and Third Defender
used in this manual and in any LIJSL coaching course that you take. The First
Defender is the person nearest the attacking ball carrier. The initial job of the
first defender is not to steal the ball, but to delay the opponent until his
teammates arrive to help.

The Second Defender is the second person to arrive at the scene. The job of
the second defender is to provide cover for the first defender. That is to cover
up any mistake that the first defender might make.

When the second defender arrives on the scene, the job of the first defender
changes from delay to pressure.

The job of the Third Defender is to provide balance. The positions and jobs of
all three defenders is shown in the simple diagram below:
 Cover Balance

Pressure

1st Defender
2nd Defender
3rd Defender

Pressure – Cover – Balance (PCB)

Team Principles of Defense

The basic principles of team defense are as follows

¾ Collapse - Entire team collapses into less space in front of opponent's

point of attack.
¾ 1st defender guides ball carrier into thickest part of defense or away from
middle.
¾ Covering defenders cut off "through" spaces.
¾ Together, First and second defenders squeeze attack into tight. difficult
space.
¾ Concentrate - Gather forces in middle of the field and near the ball
before attempting to dispossess the ball.

Individual Principles of Defense

The principles of individual defense are as follows:

¾ Delay Then Pressure-

• Player nearest the ball is "the 1st Defender":
• Get ball carrier's head down by putting him under close enough pressure
to make him worry about controlling the ball and so he cannot look for
passing options, but not close enough to be beaten; (delay)

¾ Player(s) not nearest to the ball, get into position to intercept all short or
desired passing options; (Provide Cover)
• Leave open most difficult and longest passing options as long as there is
good pressure and cover on the ball carrier and his nearest passing
options.

¾ The first defender should not run straight at ball carrier, but should come in at
an angle that would force the ball carrier to pass back or to attack toward our
 covering defenders or toward a touchline. This makes the opponent's attack
predictable and easy to read by covering defenders.

¾ When the attacker has been contained, but still maintains possession of
the ball, the defender would do well to force the attacker to move to the side
or even backwards. By forcing laterally, the supporting defenders can gain
time to recover. Once recovered, the supporting defenders can enhance their
positions as they have more time to adjust. An attacker that is allowed to go
forward, causes the whole team to adjust their vertical defensive positions.

¾ If the defender can force the attacker to go backwards, the defender must
try to maintain close pressure to keep the attacker from opening up space.
The supporting defense should use this opportunity to push forward as well,
compressing the attack away from it's own goal. If the on ball pressure is not
there, then the supporting defense would do well not to compress as the
attacker will have time and space to find and take advantage of the defensive
weak spots.

The 1st defender, in applying pressure to the attacking ball-handler, should:

¾ Delay

• Staggered stance, alternating front and back foot, feet shoulder width
apart, legs bent, body bent, on your toes (don't get flat-footed).
• Feints and stabs but do not commit until ball-carrier makes a mistake.
• Concentrate on player, not the ball, look at ball carrier's hips, not his feet
or upper body.
• With peripheral vision, see the space between the ball and ball carrier. If
the ball gets away from feet

¾ Deny

• Deny the shot;

• Deny penetration by denying "through" spaces which ball carrier desires to
penetrate.
• Close distance between self and ball carrier. Get close enough to force
ball carrier to alter course of attack and to force his head down to
concentrate on not losing possession of the ball.
• Choose angle of approach to guide ball carrier away from dangerous
space.
• Block any attempted shot.

¾ Destroy

• Win possession by tackling if ball carrier achieves even position.

• Win possession by stepping between ball carrier and ball if ball gets away
from his feet.
• Tackle also if ball carrier allows ball to be between his own feet. Tackles
should be fully committed through center of ball carrier's position.
 • The 2nd defender(s), those next nearest to the ball, are those who are
marking up to close passing options. They must cover " the space behind
teammate who is pressuring the ball; and if numbers are up than extra
defender might decide whether to risk double teaming the ball carrier to
win the ball.

• The 3rd defender provides Balance .- The 3rd and other defenders cover
deep and attacking spaces which may be used by the opponent to switch
their point of attack, for example, by playing to the opposite wing.

The following are good “rules of Thumb” from Gary Rue – a high school coach
from Kentucky:

1. do not allow dribbler to get behind or past the first defender

2. stop or slow down dribbler
3. take away shooting or passing behind the defense options
4. force dribbler sideways or backwards
5. force dribbler to a certain area determined by these factors:
• field position of the dribbler
• ability of the dribbler (uni-footed, fast, etc.)
• location of supporting defender(s) or boundary
• location of supporting attacker (passing options)
6. keep dribbler's eyes on ball, not allowing the dribbler to look around
7. look for and take advantage of opportunities to tackle the ball
8. maintain defensive presence with dribbler that goes forward after
releasing the ball
9. recover quickly into second defender support position when dribbler
releases the ball.

1 v 1 Defending – Containment

After the defender has been positioned to prevent the attacker dribbler from
getting into paradise (behind the defense), step 2 is to contain the dribbler. That
is, to stop or slow down the attack so the defense can recover and organize.

When the attacker is "stopped," the defender can get closer by inching forward
via a side-on shuffle, keeping balance or slightly leaning backwards to react to
any forward movements by the attacker. The defender should be in constant
movement with short hops to keep the feet alive.

If the defender can get the attacker to turn his back, then has won that battle.
There are two schools of thought on how to deal with an attacker that has turned
his back. The first is to get close with minimal contact, so as not allow the
attacker to know exactly where the defender is. Skilled attackers can easily turn
on a defender by feeling which side is not being pressured.

The other theory is to apply extreme pressure by charging through the back. The
decision making of the referee comes into play on this technique. The defender
should be okay, if enough pressure can be applied to keep the attacker off
balance, so as not to turn and can keep from pushing or charging in a dangerous
manner.
A compromise to the two extremes is the "pop and release" technique. As the
attacker turns, the defender "nudges" the attacker and bounces off a little,
keeping the feet active. After a second or two, the bounces into the attacker
again to make him aware of the defender's presence and bounces off to stop the
attacker's turn attempt.

In a team defensive scheme, there should not be supporting defenders and

perhaps a teammate to double team the attacker. Once support is there, the
defender can be more aggressive in an attempt to take the ball from the attacker.

1 v 1 Defending - Pressure

Once the defender is in control of the attacker, forcing him in the defender's
direction of preference, it is important that the defender continue to maintain a
high level of pressure on the attacker. The defender need not confront the
attacker with a tackle attempt, until the defensive support is in place and the
defender is ready.

The feint tackle is one way to keep the attacker off-balanced. The defender feints
a reach for the ball, yet maintains excellent balance and position. The defender
should not actually get caught with the body weight going forward, only the
feinting foot.

The attacker will have to react (if there is a reaction) in one of two ways. First, he
may protect the ball by pulling it back or stepping in with a shielding motion. Or
secondly, he may attempt to push the ball past the defender, assuming he is off
balance.

In the first case, the defender is forcing the attacker to focus totally on the ball. In
the second case, the defender should be in good position to cut-off the attempted
pass and possibly be able to step between the attacker and the ball.

1 v 1 Defending -Shepherding

Once the immediate threat of the dribbler beating the defender subsides, the
defender should force the attacker towards and area that favors the defender and
his team. Referring to the rules of thumb above, in this case #5, there a few
factors that must be considered. If the attacker is in his own defensive third of
the field, the defender would do well to force the attacker towards the middle. A
lost ball in this area would surely be a scoring opportunity.

If the attacker is in the middle third of the field towards one side, the defender
would do well to force the attacker towards the touch, thereby restricting his
options. If the team defensive strategy is to funnel the attacker in towards the
middle, then that should be the choice.

In the defensive third, almost always take the attacker as wide as possible or
keep him wide. If the attacker is in the middle, the defender would do well to stay
between the attacker and the goal and to keep the attacker moving laterally. If
possible, take the attacker towards his weaker side (if he has one), but do not
give up a shooting angle by getting to one side of the attacker to force him in a
direction.

1 v 1 Defending – Maintaining the Mark

If a defender is able to get an attacker wide deep in the defender's territory, the
defender should not over commit and allow the attacker to beat him, i.e. allow
the goal line. This is one of the worst attacking situations to have to defend.

One of the best ways to break down a single defender is the one-two
combination. That is, the attacker plays the ball to a teammate, runs forward and
receives the return pass. Usually, the attacker is able to get around and behind
the defender, as the defender will stand and watch the ball or chase the ball after
the pass. You may want to review the 1-2 combination practice in the Passing
and Receiving section.

The defender is obligated to continue to maintain the mark on an attacker that

goes forward after a pass until one of several things occur: *

¾ the attacker's position is not considered dangerous any more

¾ another defender can or should take over marking responsibilities
¾ the attacker on ball is free and un-pressured
¾ support for the defender on ball is needed

The most important time is immediately after the pass. It is recommended that
the defender turn with the attacker (taking his eyes off the ball), try to beat the
attacker to space he is going and turning back to find the ball. An extended
forearm touching the attacker can help the defender know where the attacker is.
The defender must not slow down his turn with the attacker, as he may obstruct
the attacker.

The beauty of this defensive reaction is that it takes the defender automatically
into a supportive position. Once the immediate threat of a return pass is
defended, the defender can decide whether to continue a close mark on the
attacker, support his teammate who should have closed down the ball by now or
close down the ball himself.

1 v 1 Defending – Closing Down the Angles

Once the defender has applied pressure and contained the attacker, he should
prevent as many forward passing options as possible. The responsibility of the
through pass still remains with the supporting defender (if present), but the first
defender can help the team by also being attentive to the dribbler's passing
option. The closer a defender can get to the attacker without compromising his
containment position, the fewer passing options an attacker has.

As the defender is keeping the attacker under control, he should try to stay aware
of the near ball runs made by supporting attackers. An overlap run will be the
easiest to see by the defender and a slight shift towards the overlapper's side
 could be enough to discourage this option. . Again, the defender needs to be
careful not to give the attacker the angle to fake the pass and drive by the
defender to the other side.

One other passing option is the nutmeg. Defenders that maintain a side-on
position and keep their feet from getting too spread apart, greatly reduce the
possibility of this pass being successful.

Proper Stance

The proper stance for a defending player is shown below:

Get Low, Hands

“Poker” Foot
Low And At Side
Forward, Other
Foot Back
On The Balls Of
Your Feet
Coaching Points

Get Low – you are harder to fake

On Balls of your feet with knees flexed – Ready to Pounce

Hands at your side for balance

One foot forward, the other back

Play “side –on” rather than head on. This channels the attacker where YOU
want him to go not where HE wants to go.

Take small quick, shuffling steps

Maintain a “correct” difference (usually about a yard). Too close and you will be
beaten with no time to recover. Too far and you don’t deny the opportunity to
pass.

Basic Defender Drill/ warm-up

Organization

Split the team into groups of two. Each group with a ball. Player A passes to
Player B who is ten yards away. Player A is the defender, Player B the attacker.
Player B takes on Player A. Play at 50% speed working on foot placement, small
quick step, playing side on, balance and keeping the correct distance.

After each turn the players switch roles. Run this about 10 minutes and each
player should be getting 10 to 20 repetitions at the defender spot.
The Delaying Game

2nd Defender

1st Defender

1st Attacker

The object of this game is to teach the 1st Defender to delay his opponent. The
1st defender is backed up by a second defender located on the far touchline. The
1st attacker, person with the ball starts to dribble towards the far touchline. His
job is to get it across under control.

The 1st defender’s job is solely to delay the 1st attacker until his teammate
arrives. The 2nd defender has to be artificially delayed. Make him do ten juggles,
or ten foundations or ten of any other foot skill before he enters the field of play.

Score the game so that the concept of delay is rewarded. If the 1st defender gets
beat and the second defender is not on the field, award 5 points to the attacker.

If the first defender simply knocks the ball out of bounds give him a point, but
give him 5 points if he delays the 1st attacker and, together with his teammate,
dispossesses the ball and takes control.

Coaching Points

Praise delay over deny and destroy

Look for the 1st defender to angle his opponent towards the touchline. The
touchline acts as a third teammate.
Make sure that the 1st defender just doesn’t dive in and stab at the ball
Pressure (Under 7 Game)

Player B

Player A

Player C

The game of “Pressure” is played in groups of three, one ball per group. Player A
rolls the ball (receiving ground balls) or tosses the ball (receiving air balls) to
either player B or player C. In this example, player C must control the ball and
get a completed pass to player B. While this is occurring, player A immediately
challenges player C and tries to win the ball back.

After successful pass, player C would then pick up the ball and repeat the activity
as the defender. The defender is awarded a point for winning the ball back and
gets to throw again.

Coaching Points

Encourage defender to pressure quickly after the toss.

Defender needs to work hard at closing down the space while the ball is in flight.

Receiving player's first touch should be away from the pressuring defender.

Player receiving the pass should move to create a clear passing lane.

Do not allow the receiving player to one touch the incoming toss. This is a
receiving drill, as well as a drill that serves as a good warm-up for practices
dealing with defenders.

Pressure / Cover Defending (Under – 8 Game)

2 v. 2, with goals marked out in the corner of the grid.

Have a regular game with periods of about 2 - 3 minutes in duration.

Have plenty of extra balls ready to keep the game flowing

Coaching Points

Pressure on the ball, do not let the first attacker's head to come up

Second defender must cover the goal as well as be aware of the second attacker

First defender tries to channel the attacker into the sideline and away from the
second attacker.(This is easier to do since the goals are in the corners of the
grid, the sidelines come up quicker.)

When first defender has made the play predictable, second defender tries to
double team.

Make sure the defenders stay balanced, that they do not become too spread out,
enabling the attacking team to make "splitting passes".

As soon as the ball is won, can they shoot? This is the best time to do so
because the attacking team is not in a good defending posture

Defending the through Ball

This section deals with stopping penetrating Through balls in a flat back defnse.
It was supplied to me by Gary Rue , a high school coach from Kentucky and
frequent contributor to several coaching forums.

One of the prime positioning responsibilities of the flat back is to stop penetrating
through balls. The following exercise helps a flat back learn, shift and position
themselves in the face of passes out of the opponents midfield.

Setup

Using flat cones as markers, create a horizontal channel of 10x60 yards across
the field as shown.
 Inside the channel are the four defenders. On each side of the channel are 4-6
attacking players spread out across the whole width.

Width and
depth

Execution

For ease of switching the point of attack, the attackers may want to position a
player forward with back to the channel (as if he was a checking forward player).
The attackers should not be an a flat shape, but have some depth and width.

The attackers move the ball around trying to off balance the defenders where
they can deliver a pass past the defensive line to the attackers on the other side.

In this exercise, we will assume that the mids are applying appropriate pressure
and the backs are just in support of the halfbacks. In the example above, the ball
is central and so are the backs. They have gotten closer together and moved
towards the center. As the ball moves wide, they should shift to that side as well.

Notice the defenders have moved to closer to their back restricted line. This is
because they are trying to stop the through ball. In a flat back, you want to
create space between you and the ball when possible. If the ball is close to
midfield, the space is 10-15 yards. It is 5-7 yards when the defense is backed up
to its 18. If the ball is dropped further away, they should move forward. As the
ball comes forward, they should move back.

Once the basic movement is trained, an attacker can be added to inside the
channel. Now the defenders must mark this attacker, passing him on as the
attacker moves side to side.

Balls can be played into the attacker who can turn and pass or drop it back.

If a defender must move forward to mark an attacker, the other backs must
adjust their positions forward in order to not create too much space between the
marking defender and the rest of the backs. This space creates angles for
through balls. The diagram below shows the slight difference in positioning when
an attacker must be marked in the channel.
Slide Tackling
There is a debate on within the youth soccer community as to when to teach, or
even to teach, slide tackling. At many youth, recreation levels, slide tackling is
not permitted due to the risk of injury, both to the tackler, and the one being
tackled. This is generally because slide tackling is not taught, or taught very little
and therefore the execution of this technique is poor, to say the least.

Since slide tackling is part of the game and sooner or later your kids are going to
try it, it is probably better if they are taught the right way to do it, rather than let
them experiment on their own.

The basics of slide tackling are as follows:

Watch The Ball

When an attacker is running at you with the ball, it's difficult not to concentrate on
his body movements. Doing so, however, could cost you a tackle.

More than a few flashy forwards have juked a defender out of his socks while
only nominally touching the ball. Such situations, however, can be avoided by
keeping your eyes on the ball. If someone is trying to dribble by you and he's
coming right at you, you've got to watch the ball. No matter where the attacker's
body moves -- he can go right, he can go left -- the ball always sits still.

Don't Tackle Unless It's Necessary

The best place for a defender to be is on his feet, not on the ground, and so one
should resist the temptation to leap at an opponent's ankles any time the
opportunity presents itself. It's better to contain the forward and prevent him from
penetrating. You should also try to work with your fellow defenders to close
off the attack without direct confrontation.

If you are the last line of defense, it is particularly important to remain upright. If
your slide-tackle fails, your opponent's path to the goal will be clear.

Any time you dive in, there's a chance of you getting beat. Even if you do dive in
and get the ball, it can always bounce or deflect off the guy and get by you.

Wait For Your Opponent To Separate From The Ball

As long as your opponent has the ball at his feet, he's in control and a slide-
tackle could be suicidal. Wait for him to knock it ahead two or three feet -if you
are fairly close by before diving at his feet.

If you tackle when it's at his feet he can knock it away from you or dribble by you.
When he separates from the ball, then you cut in front of him without tackling.
And that's perfect because you can keep playing. If you need to tackle, wait for
him to separate from the ball, then hook him.

Timing is the crucial ingredient, both for safety and effectiveness. But the quality
of the timing is elusive. The most important thing is to get your timing down. If
you don't have the right timing, your opponent is going to run right by you

Developing timing requires constant practice, but because training sessions

rarely emphasize tackling, games offer the best training ground. Kids always
want to practice slide-tackling, but it is not really something you can do in
practice. The more you play, better you'll get at it.

Be Decisive

Every time a high level player tries to complete a tackle, he takes the attitude that
he is going to get the ball and crush the forward. That's the way you have to
think.

Mentality is important, especially at the highest level where the difference

between success and failure can be confidence. Players can't hesitate, or they'll
be beaten.
When you decide to go down, you have to go down. You can't think twice about
it. If you go into a tackle halfway, you can get hurt. Decide 100 percent that you
are going, then go.

Knowing when to go requires instinct built through experience, and it requires the
ability to read the game.

Attack From An Angle

It is possible to slide-tackle an opponent from behind or from the front. But the
risks -- fouls, cards, expulsion -- are great. The best tackles come from an angle.
Coming in at an angle also allows the defender to strip an opponent from the ball
without tackling.

While racing alongside an opponent, wait for him to separate from the ball. Then
step into his path, between him and the ball. Step right into his line. Now you've
got the ball, and you can shield it. Chances are, he'll trip you or foul you because
you've cut him off.

Tackling from behind, an inexact science which soccer officials are intent on
banning, isn't recommended. For every clean tackle from behind, there are four
bad ones. You always seem to clip the guy, catch an ankle or something. You
might get away with one clean tackle, but many times you are going to foul the
guy, and you might seriously hurt him.

Slide-tackling from the front, with both feet, is another matter, and one referees
rarely smile upon.

Straight-on, you're going to get the ball first, but obviously you're trying to hurt the
guy if you're going in with both feet straight on. That's why referees don't like
straight-on tackling. Even if you get the ball, they usually call a foul.

Protect Yourself

The first law of slide-tackling concerns safety, and it begins with shinguards. Full
guards may not be as comfortable as smaller models, but defenders don't really
have a choice. Nor do they have a choice once the decision to tackle has been
made. Don't take it easy! You must go all out.

Mechanics are important. Tacklers should keep their leg unlocked with a slight
bend. Then when you get to the ball, extend your leg through it. Make sure you
get the ball right on your shoelaces and swing your leg through it.

Give 'Em The Hook

The proper slide should make baseball managers proud -- it's a hook, on your
side, with the extension of your leg through the ball. It's like a baseball slide. The
only difference is you don't slide straight through. In soccer, you're running at an
angle and sliding, hoping to land on your side. Then you try to swing your leg
across and hook the ball.

It requires precision and resolution. Don't just put your foot out there, hoping the
ball will hit you as your opponent trips over you. Make sure you swing through it.
Try to clear it, or try to kick it away from him.

Get The Ball

This is most important. If you don't get the ball. Your goalkeeper will likely be
picking the ball out of the back of the net in a matter of moments. Make sure
you get the ball. You can get the ball first and then go through the player

Or don't. Tackling doesn't require a defender to strip the ball from his opponent.
Sometimes just getting in the way is enough. If a guy is running down the wing,
he's running full speed, and you know at that speed he can't cut it back. You
know he is going to cross it. Sometimes if you stick out your leg, you're not going
to block it. If you slide and lift your leg, you can block the pass.

Control Your Emotions

Professional fouls are part of the game, mere moves in a chess match. And
although players can become frustrated and tempers can flare, one should never
take it out on an opponent.

It's important that you control your emotions. Never go out to hurt somebody
because you're looking to be thrown out of the game, and that's stupid. Make
sure you keep your foot down when sliding -- you don't ever want to lift your foot.