Practice - Small Group Defending
Warm Up 5 - 10 minutes. Activity level
- Mild ramping up. Space: General. 1 - 2 Players per group.
Pressure
The Game
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
occuring, 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
Small Game 20 - 25 Minutes. Activity
level: Medium progression to high. Space: Defined space "smaller". 3
- 5 players per group.
Pressure / Cover
Defending
The Game
Coaching Points
Defending principles of play
Four Goals
- End Line
The Game
4 v. 4. Each team defends two goals and attacks two goals. Having the goals
on the end lines makes this game more realistic as it forces the attacking team
to have more of a direction to their attack.
Coaching Points
Defending principles
A good session for U-12 players and above.
Team Game 30 Minutes plus. Activity
level: High. Space: Defined for the game = larger space. 7 - 11 players per
team.
Four Zones
Game
The Game
A regular 11 v. 11 or 8 v. 8 scrimmage. Break the field into 4 horizontal
zones. Award the defending team points when they win the ball back in a chosen
zone. For example, the Blue team might be given 3 points for winning
the ball back in the first zone, two points for the second zone, one point for
the third zone and no points for the fourth zone. This can change depending on
where the coach wants the team to try tp force the play
Coaching Points
Warm Down 5 - 10 Minutes. Activity
level: Low ramping down. Space: General, No specific boundaries. 1 - 2 players
per group.
Two
Sided Goal Game
The Game
A 2 v. 2 game played to a two sided goal. Goals can be scored from either
side. The game is a continuous flow game that is best played for 2 - 3 minutes.
Coaching Points
Practice List