Defending is a vitally important aspect of football that is often neglected, due to its complex nature and the difficulty associated with coaching it correctly.
To address the lack of adequate coaching, Precision Soccer Academy presents a fundamental coaching program to develop players in this area of the game, both as individuals and as a team.
The program uses our unique Synergy coaching methods, which enable players to react quickly to regain possession of the ball, achieved by pressurising, which results in changing the game from defence to offence.
There are three important areas of the field, each requiring different defending qualities. These areas are the defending, mid, and attacking third.
The aim of this program is to teach players to decrease the time, space, and options an attacking player has to control, pass, dribble, or shoot for goal.
To defend well as a team presupposes that players can defend well as individuals. In addition to technical and tactical qualities, defenders must display mental qualities of concentration, patience, and self-discipline.
All players will find it necessary to challenge an opponent for the ball sometime during the game. There are three possible objectives in challenging for the ball: preventing the opponent from turning with the ball, keeping play in front of the defenders, and forcing play in one direction.
The key reasons why goals are scored due to incorrect defending:
Goals are scored due to the lack of pressure on the player with the ball in and around the penalty area.
There is no support to player pressurising.
Not understanding when to mark man and when to mark space.
Giving the ball away in the defending third.
Set plays caused by lack of individual defending technique.
Lack of defending against blind side attack in the defending third.
Lack of defending the near post, from the air and ground balls.
Lack of defending the mid-goal, from the air and ground balls.
Lack of defending far post, from the air and ground balls.
Inadequate tracking and marking of players.
Inability to set up the wall in and around the defending third.
Lacking vision in different angles, as very few players can play with 360 degrees.
Inability to defend against one-touch football.
Slow reaction in and around the penalty area.
Not being first to the ball.
Lack of speed and early decision to make recovery runs.
Not understanding why to recover, when to recover, where to recover, and what to recover.
Lack of understanding the equation of recovery runs, which is to put in view three main objects: the player with the ball, the player without the ball, and keep goal aside.
Lack of understanding who will start the pressurising task.
Lack of mental concentration to do correct thing in the correct time, due to a gap between skills and mental reaction.
The Precision Soccer Academy coaching program addresses all the above points, creating a player with perfect defending attributes, individually and as a team.