Practice 1: Winning the ball

WHY USE IT

This first practice allows players to work on the individual technique of defending.

SET UP

Set up a number of lanes, as shown, to accommodate the number of players in your session. Our example uses three lanes with four players working in each. Split players into attackers and defenders, who face each other at opposite ends of the lane. At the end of each lane, where the defenders start, a small goal is situated in one corner. One attacker and one defender play at a time in each lane.

HOW TO PLAY

The defender (Blue) starts with the ball and plays it to the attacker, who then tries to win the 1v1 and pass into the small goal. If the defender wins the ball, they try to dribble over the end line where the attacker entered. Rotate the roles of the players regularly.

COACHING POINTS

• Players should concentrate on the four Ss of defending - sprint, slow down, side-on, steal. 
• When ‘stealing’, players need to decide whether they can win the ball through a ‘poke’ or ‘block’.