#098 Creating a Cohesive Defensive Unit

Last weekend I had a game on turf Friday night, a game on very rough outdoor field on Saturday and then back to the turf for our match on Sunday. The grass field was so uneven that it made it very difficult to try to play the kind of soccer we normally attempt. I decided to take the pressure off my players and give them permission decide when they could play to feet and when to play more directly and just get the ball forward. They did a great job of making those decisions. There were a couple of times that they tried to play and lost possession and a few times that they may have been able to keep the ball but chose play longer up the field. Do you change your style of play to match the conditions or do you challenge your players to, ‘play their game’ despite the state of the field or the weather? This week’s question is from Sonam. He asks about the balance of technical and tactical sessions for a U16 team he’s working with. “The majority of the girls are still having difficulty with their technique so I am not sure whether I should even do tactical sessions with them. I listened to your podcast about Styles of Play and I have an idea of how I want the team to play but I am not sure whether I should focus on the tactical part when they are still struggling technically. So I wanted to know whether I should focus more on the technical phase in our training sessions or the tactics.” In my answer to Sonam I look at how technical ability affects tactics. I also look at how the LEVEL of the players should impact the way we train them more than their AGE. As well as how he can achieve as much as possible in each session. In This Episode I look at training players to understand the key principles of zonal defending. This is important for players of all ages to understand. Training players to work together to pressure the ball and deny space are vital components to effective defending. I share some exercises and resources to help you create a cohesive defensive unit. The exercises in this episode are from our latest eBook, ‘The Complete Guide to Zonal Defending‘. It includes the small-sided game and full-sided variations that I talked about in this episode. Printable Show Notes The show notes for each episode are accessed through the WCC Training Center. They are FREE but you will need at least a Free Membership to the Training Center in order to view and print them. They’ll be available there for eight weeks before they’re placed in our archive which can be accessed at any time by Pro and Elite Members. Click on the image of the notes and if you’re already logged in to the Training Center you’ll be taken to the Podcast page. If you’re not logged in your be taken to a login page where you’ll also be able to login or register if you are not already a Member. Remember! Make sure you subscribe to Coaching Soccer Weekly through iTunes, or your podcast provider of choice, to be sure you never miss an episode. We would appreciate it if you would leave us a 5 star rating and/or a written review on iTunes to help spread the word about the show and ensure that we can continue to bring you top notch guests in the future. Next Week Next week I want to look at when you should and shouldn’t consider having a player move up an age group. This is nothing new but I see it happening more and more so I thought I’d share my thoughts on the subject.