If you haven’t yet, you should read the Individual Defending post first as Team Defending builds on those concepts. If you have, please read on…

Team Defending

All team defending relies on individual defenders being able to handle their assignments.

However, good positioning and communication (often hard to achieve with young players) by teammates can have an enormous impact in helping an individual defender successfully complete the challenge.

Here we offer a couple of drills that can help teams achieve some “team chemistry” when defending, and translate that into a successful transition on offense.

Pressuring and supporting

Unless an individual player has purposefully steered an attacker into a defending teammate for a double team, defenders should avoid being at the same place at the same time as this leaves space for attackers to exploit. Therefore, usually one defender pressures the ball, while teammates offer support several steps behind in case the defender is beaten.

DRILL – 5 minutes

Setup

• A 15×15 step box
• The 2 attackers have the ball

1. Attacker with the ball (being closed down by a defender) passes the ball to the other attacker; 2. The two defenders simultaneously switch, so that the one that was providing support is now pressuring the other attacker, while the one that was pressuring is now providing support

• Attacker with the ball (being closed down by a defender) passes the ball to the other attacker
• The two defenders simultaneously switch, so that the one that was providing support is now pressuring the other attacker, while the one that was pressuring is now providing support

The result of the switch should look like this

• Have the attackers pass the ball back and forth so the defenders can get used to the “pressure/support” switch
• Switch attackers and defenders and go again

GAME – 10 minutes

Objective

• The attackers try to stop the ball on the defenders’ end line
• The defenders try to either stop the ball on the attackers’ end line or force the attackers out of bounds
  • Even if the attacker goes over the end line, and does not stop the ball on the defender’s end line under control, it is the defender who wins the round
• In another variation of this drill, you may set up  a goal on each end line and have the players score that way

DRILL – 5 minutes

Setup

• Widen out your box to about 20×20 steps
• Add a 3rd attacker and a 3rd defender and do the same drill
  • 1 defender pressures, 2 defenders support

Drill

• As the ball moves between the 3 attackers, the defenders should be positioned as shown in the examples below

GAME – 10 minutes

Objective: Same as the 1 on 1 and the 2 on 2 game

Transitioning to offense

Once the ball is won, it is crucial that it does not get turned over again. Young players will have most success with this if they can move the ball out wide and up the sideline into the other team’s half. The following game helps players get used to this transition.

GAME – OFFENSE Vs. DEFENSE – 15 to 20 minutes

Objective

• Attackers want to score on the big goal against a goalkeeper
• Defenders want to score on either of the small goals

Remember to reiterate all of the individual and team defending points covered above

Setup

• Split players into two equal teams
• Put a goalkeeper in the big goal
• Offense is attacking the big goal
• Set up two small goals, one on each side, a few steps short of the halfway line and a few steps to the inside of the sideline
• All of the balls are in the center circle
  • In another variation, the balls can be in the goal, and the drill can start with the goalie punting the ball to the attackers to control and then play
    • This variation can be challenging for younger players as it is sometimes difficult for them to control a punt

Game

• Start with a pass from the center circle each time any of the following happens:
  • Offense scores
  • Offense takes a shot and the goalkeeper saves it
  • Ball goes out of bounds
  • Defense scores on one of the small goals
• After winning possession of the ball, the defense should look to as quickly as possible do the following:
  • Get the ball out of wide
  • Move it down the sideline to score