What good is a soccer team with out an effective defense? The answer is pretty obvious, without a good defense your team is going to fall apart, so you need to make sure that you players are aware and able to play effectively on defense, and these drill s will teach them how. By using these drills you will improve a soccer teams defense, footwork, and overall skill in soccer.
Stick em’: This drill involves a narrow field and two players, one for offense and one defender. The field should only allow minimal movement from side to side, and the point is for the defender to take the ball away from the offensive player. The player on offense starts with the ball and tries to get past the defender. The defender must move with the offense trying to not only block his pass through the narrow field, but also to kick the ball away from the offense in any way possible. This drill teaches a defender to stick with an opponent and to use any means necessary to take the ball away.
Two on Two: This drill involves a half field and uses two offense and two defense. This drill is played much like Monkey in the Middle where the offense has a ball and the two defenders have the objective of trying to take the ball away. This drill can be used in a variety of way, but usually just goes on until the coach calls time or the defense has possession of the ball. This drill teaches teamwork on defense and will allow your players to work in a wider area for a longer amount of time.
Pass up: This drill is very simple, all you need to do is teach a defender how to kick a ball a long distance and accurately. This drill will be put to use when your defender has a clear field in font of them and need to move the ball a long way in a short period of time. It also comes in handy during free kicks behind the half field mark and goal kicks. The most important idea in this drill is to teach proper techniques for striking the ball. Have the person kicking the ball aim for a player in the distance, about the distance between where the defense is in a real game and where a left or right wing player might be. Accuracy is key point, trying to drop the ball just in front of your offense is going to be a major factor in a successful defense.
Kick Away!: This drill is more of a technique rather then an actual exercise. The point here is to teach defenders to kick the ball away from opponents in a desperate situation. If a defender is confronted by two offensive player from the opposing team and there seams to be no way out, kick the ball out of bounds! This will give your team a chance to reset themselves on defense, but you have to be careful not to kick the ball into a position where the opposing team gets a corner kick because these are dangerous situations.
These simple drills will increase the effectiveness of your defense and improving your teams overall performance. A team cannot stand on offense alone, and that’s why these drills are so important teaching bal control, teamwork, and strategy.
