The Four Keys to Teaching Your Young Soccer Players to Defend Your Goal Like a Fortress

There are four key elements that I have found to teaching young soccer players to defend effectively. Footwork is a key factor in getting young soccer players to defend effectively. Together with knowing when to commit to a tackle and when to hold position I find these are the two vitals elements to having a strong defence. These factors, I combine with knowing where the danger zones are on the field, and communicating with each other in order to originate an impenetrable defence. I do not promote playing boring soccer with lots of players behind the ball, but if you can defend effectively then your team will be able to play the ball supplementary up the field, thus creating more attacking opportunities. Soccer is a game about field position and proprietary and being able to defend effectively is a key element for each of these factors.

The Four Keys to Teaching Your Young Soccer Players to Defend Your Goal Like a Fortress

Footwork is a key element in teaching young soccer players to defend effectively. There are two things that I focus on with my young soccer players in relation to their footwork. The first of these is to never get caught with their feet square. They should always defend with one foot in front of the other, and with one shoulder in front of the other. They must also never be caught flat footed. This means that they should always be on their toes in a defensive situation. This allows them to react much more swiftly to what the attacking player does in front of them. It is also vital that they do not get caught with both feet off the ground at the same time, as this makes it practically impossible for them to change direction or react quickly.

Players must learn when to commit to a tackle and when to hold their position and wait for an opportunity. Players must only commit to a tackle when the odds are in their favour of winning the ball. This commonly means that they are closer to the ball than what the attacker is. Until this happens they should jockey for position and avow a length of about 1 meter between themselves and the attacker. This will give them adequate reaction time to stay with the attacking player. Players must watch the ball at all times. This will lessen the potential of an attacker to fake them into committing to a tackle at the wrong time. The ball is the vital element, not the feet, hips or shoulders of the attacking players. Teach your defenders to watch the ball at all times. I also encourage players to stay on their feet when defending as much as possible. There is a time and place for a slide tackle, but a player that is off their feet cannot react as swiftly as a player who is on their feet.

Teach your players where the danger zones are on the field. Defenders must position themselves on the field to push the strike towards the sidelines and away from the goal mouth. Teach them how to position in front of an attacker to encourage the attacker to move into a less attacking area of the field.

The key to any successful defence is communication. In my junior teams I always find my defence much stronger where I have a strong communicator playing in the sweeper or centre back role. Communication starts at training. Whenever you show the way drills at training ensure that you are not the one doing all the talking. Make sure that there is plentifulness of talk amongst your players. What they do on the training paddock they will take onto the field.

So the four keys to creating a strong defence are teaching your players exact footwork, production sure they understand when to commit to a challenge, helping them understand the danger areas on the field and how to keep attackers away from them, and production sure they review with each other. Your defensive drills should encourage improvement of these four key areas, in order that you will have a strong defence.

The Four Keys to Teaching Your Young Soccer Players to Defend Your Goal Like a Fortress

Soccer Rules -Fouls - risky Play

A foul in any sport is a violation of that sport's code of show the way in some form, and each sport punishes foul play in its own unique way. Soccer defines a foul as an unfair performance a player commits against an opposing player or the opposing team while the course of a match. The punishment varies depending upon the nature of the infraction, but will be whether a direct or indirect free kick. To be a foul, the act must occur on the field, while the ball is in play. Otherwise, it may constitute a misconduct, and may even certify a caution or send-off, but it will not be a foul.

Soccer Rules -Fouls - risky Play

For some minor infractions the punishment is an indirect kick, meaning that the ball must be touched by a second player before the attacking team can score. These fouls are often called "technical fouls" because most are not the direct effect of foul play, but are violations of one of soccer's procedural rules, which are ordinarily designed to keep play flowing or prevent penal fouls from happening. One such "technical foul" is the offense of playing in a perilous manner--commonly known as "dangerous play."

Playing in a perilous manner

Among the referee's chief concerns is the safety of the players. As a result, a referee will punish penalize perilous play by awarding an indirect kick to the other side.

The rules do not define in fact what is meant by "playing in a perilous manner," except to defer to the referee's of the referee. ordinarily thorough notions of "dangerous play" contain high kicking near other players, kicking wildly on the ground with players nearby, tackling for the ball with the cleats exposed or when it is in the keeper's possession--even, on occasion, exposing oneself to the risk of harm, if it causes man to refrain from playing the ball for fear of injuring his overly adventuresome opponent. It is only a foul if it places an opponent at risk, however. A high kick alone in mid-field endangers no one, while the same kick in a crowded penalty area very well may. And while many spectators become agitated when a player on the ground kicks at the ball, it is only a "dangerous play" when doing so places the legs and feet of opposing players at risk.

At higher levels of play, where gifted players are used to taking greater chances while the course of a match, this infraction is commonly called only if it causes the opponent to react by trying to avoid the contact. At most youth games, and many amateur adult games, everyone looks to the referee to enforce a greater level of sanity on the players than their enthusiasm might otherwise recommend is present.

Soccer Rules -Fouls - risky Play