There's nothing worse than a defender who dives in willy nilly, without thinking about whether it's the right thing to do or not. To help prevent this sort of reckless defending in this session we look at ways you can get your players to hold up their man, forcing them wide, away from the danger area, and holding up the attacker until the cavalry arrives!
Of course, speaking as a defender myself, I know from experience that facing down an oncoming attacker is no easy feat. However, if you know how it needn't be quite so intimidating.
To deal with these tricky situations we go mano-a-mano, starting with a drill which sees your defenders shadowing their man as they run laterally, standing with bent knees so that they're ready to change direction at any given moment! After this your players will progress through a number of increasingly difficult one vs one drills which will test their ability to defend against an oncoming player when it matters the most - just like in a real match your players will be penalised if they dive in and don't get the ball too - so the stakes are raised!
in more ways than one
sportplan_netball
in more ways than one
sportplan_football
Pre-season is your one window to build a real engine. This July, ditch the endless laps and learn how to condition your players with a ball at their feet.
A clear game model turns a squad into a team. Use pre-season to decide who you want to be, then train it every single week so your side is recognisable from the first whistle.
Roughly a fifth of Premier League goals come from set pieces, and the gap between teams who plan their routines and teams who do not has never been wider. Here is how the modern set-piece specialists design attacking corners, free kicks, and throw-ins - and how you can apply their ideas at any level.
