Coaching kids who can't make practice【Youth Soccer】1v1 defending and body use

Hello, this is Coach Kazu.

In youth soccer coaching, one-on-one defending is something many people struggle with. I myself, every time I change teams or age categories, find myself concerned about one-on-one defending, and honestly, I struggle with it too.

For example, you might feel like the following.

• There are players who can't go to press when the opponent has the ball
• They improve in one-on-one practice, but in matches they can't do it
• Against stronger or same-level opponents, their close-down is too loose and they can't win the ball

Previously, I received the following question from a reader.

"I'm a dad coach for a 5th-grade boys' club team. What kind of advice should I give to a player who can't go to press, can't win the ball, and has low defensive intensity? In one-on-one practice I tell them, 'It's okay if you get beaten, just put pressure on them first and take away their freedom,' and 'Go at the opponent, not the ball,' but against stronger or same-level opponents it doesn't work. Their off-the-ball positioning and awareness might be low, and their press might be delayed."

That I can't say anything for sure without seeing the match situation is always true, but it was a very thorough question.

In this article, I'll explain how I coach one-on-one defending in the junior age group, from the angles of "body use," "benchmarks," "team-wide pressing," and "player psychology." If you read this article, I think you'll see several reasons why "we practice one-on-one but can't do it in matches," so please watch until the end.

① Is it that they only stick out a leg and get beaten, or that they can't get their body close?

One-on-one defending for elementary schoolers, I think there are roughly two patterns. Either they only stick out a leg and get easily beaten. Or they can't get their body close in the first place.

Of course, there are also kids who go in hard but dive in too much and get beaten. However, in many cases, I think the problem lies in "not being able to use their body." That is, they can't use their whole body to stop the opponent's body.

② Approach, stop, close down

The basic idea is to approach, and if the opponent makes a control error, go for it in one go. If the ball settles properly at the opponent's feet, stop once. From there, close down.

It's a three-step process: approach, stop, close down.

They approach, dive in at the moment of control and can't stop, and get taken out with one touch. This also happens a lot. For those players, I focus on "once you approach, stop."

After stopping, if the distance is too far, it won't be pressure. Close down to a certain degree, and either go to stop them by putting out hands and feet at the same time and pushing their whole body, or when the opponent comes to beat you with a dribble, get your body close and win the ball. I think this area is the basic key factor.

③ Secret trick: during practice, it's okay to grab arms or uniforms

There are quite a few kids who still can't do it even after being told that. When many kids defend with only their toes, without using their arms or hips, I change the way we practice.

In one-on-one practice, I say, "You can pull the opponent's arm or uniform, so try to stop them." Of course, this is not to say it's okay to do it during matches. Only during practice.

When you do that, they can't stop them. Even when told they can commit a foul, they can't stop them. Because their arms aren't coming out in the first place.

There's long been an expression that "soccer is combat using a ball," but in Europe and South America, it's normal for kids from childhood to use their whole bodies and bump into each other. On the other hand, I feel that many Japanese kids think soccer is something you do with your feet.

At first they can't stop them. But as they somehow manage to stop them while pulling and such, they naturally develop the habit of using their arms to block. I sometimes intentionally do this as a phase, even with junior high schoolers.

④ When they shield the ball, say "Go kick the ball"

There are also kids whose bodies end up too far away when the opponent shields the ball and gets their body in. In that case, rather than pushing from behind, I say, "Go kick the ball."

When you go to kick the ball, your hips naturally go in deep, and you also make contact with the opponent's body.

It may sometimes look like a foul, but I often use the expression that if you don't go in that much, you're not putting pressure on the opponent. If it's becoming a foul during matches, I correct it by saying, "Use your arms a bit more like this."

① The "dangerously" high intensity I felt in Spain

Before I went to Spain, there was an era when Japanese kids were said to have low intensity (intensity of play). When I actually went to Spain and saw it, the intensity was truly high. If you have the chance, I'd like you to see it live once, but you'll understand in an instant.

They come in quite dangerously.

What was interesting in a class during my study abroad was that one of the demerits of dribbling listed was "there is a risk of injury." This is because when you dribble, the opponent comes in to cut your legs down with full force. I think there's a premise in their culture that it's that intense.

② When those around you are low, that becomes the norm

When I was coaching at a Barcelona school, we practiced in Japan and then went on a tour to Spain. Even though the school in Japan was coached by Spaniards, once we got to the tournament, the intensity was still low. When we got back to Japan, we decided we were going to push the players much harder.

When the intensity around them is low overall, that becomes the norm. It is not about whether fouling is good or bad. Even if it might turn into a foul, that is the level of commitment you need to make in duels. I feel that for Japanese children, the baseline for that sense is low.

I think it comes down to where you set the standard in the everyday environment you create.

1. "Jega tarde" = arriving late

Regarding your question about whether off-the-ball positioning and awareness of danger are low, and whether the press is late, I think that is a possibility.

In Spanish there is an expression "jega tarde." Literally translated, it means "arriving late." It refers to the phenomenon in defensive pressing where the approach is late, the player gets played around, and the defensive shape gets pulled out of alignment.

It is used almost like a noun, it is a phenomenon that happens often and that you must not do.

2. Are you only coaching details?

In my experience, there are very few junior teams that properly do team-wide pressing.

If you listen to coaching during matches, there are often scenes where coaches give details about how the forward should chase, saying "cut off the vertical pass" or "cut off the inside."

However, after that, when a pass goes out and the next player is late, and the team's coordination is not working well, there is not much focus on that. In other words, I think the idea of team-wide pressing is not being instilled in the players.

I do not say "cut off the vertical" or "cut off the lateral" much. My feeling is to create the overall organization, the overall coordination. Around 4th grade, we do the basic overall pressing idea, and when they become 5th and 6th graders, we do switching between different pressing approaches depending on the opponent's formation.

3. Attacking problems are in defending, defending problems are in attacking

I think soccer is a complex system. When Guardiola was the Barcelona manager, he said, "Attacking problems lie in defending, and defending problems lie in attacking," and I think that is exactly right.

By coordinating team-wide pressing, 1v1s become stronger. Conversely, by focusing on 1v1s, other areas improve. That is how it works, so I am sure all of you have experienced "we practice 1v1 defending, but in matches the players cannot commit at all."

Surprisingly, it might work out if you try thinking about it from the opposite direction.

1. "There might be a pass" makes them unable to commit

By doing 1v1 practice, defending responses can improve. In matches too, in situations on the side where players can recognize "this is a 1v1," their responses improve.

But for example, when a defensive midfielder goes to approach the opponent's top player. It looks like a 1v1, but it is part of a larger situation. In 1v1 practice, the defender knows "there is no pass," so it is always defending against an opponent who will dribble.

However, when defending in a 4v2 rondo, it becomes "I do not know if it is a dribble or a pass, so I cannot commit hard."

This may also be happening during matches. Inside the mind of the player who approached, there is "a pass might come out," so they cannot close down well, and they end up sticking out a leg trying to intercept the pass, get played around, and are beaten.

2. It is fine if the pass is played. Think only about winning the ball

In that moment, I say this to the player who approached: "Sure, there might be a pass, but it is fine if the pass is played. Do not try to intercept the pass." "First, think only about winning the ball from that player."

The ones who try to intercept the pass are the second and third players behind. So the player who approached should press their body firmly against the opponent, and it is fine if the pass is played. Think only about winning the ball completely.

That is how I coach it.

3. Do not create contradictions. In rondos and possession, "play it as a 1v1"

The 1v1 in 1v1 practice and the 1v1 situation inside a rondo are a little different, so I think training should be considered separately. However, if a contradiction arises there, the players get confused.

In a rondo they are told "do not dive in," and in 1v1 practice they are told "go." That creates a contradiction in the players' heads. Whether it is a rondo or a possession game, the player who approaches the opponent's ball carrier should "play it as a 1v1."

I think coaching that provides that kind of consistency is necessary.

Summary

• For elementary school players, 1v1 defending falls into two patterns: "only sticking out a leg" and "cannot press the body in." The problem is that they are not using their body
• The basics are approach, stop, press in. For children who cannot stop and get beaten, focus on "stop"
• During practice, if you tell them it is okay to grab an arm or a jersey, they notice that they are not using their arms. If they get held off, tell them "go kick the ball"
• The baseline for intensity is determined by the environment. If the people around them are low, that becomes the norm
• Delayed pressing (Jega Tarde) may be because the team's collective pressing has not been fully instilled. Attacking problems lie in defense, defensive problems lie in attack
• 1v1 drills and 1v1 within rondos feel psychologically different. "It's fine if the pass is made. Think only about winning the ball back completely." This keeps things from becoming contradictory

To be honest, I like pressing, but I am not that good at teaching 1v1 defending. I prefer attacking, so I also have the bad habit of not doing much defending. That is exactly why, if you have a method that has worked well for you, please do tell me.

Please try it at your own coaching sessions too!

Also, for team-wide pressing, if you draw it on a tactics board and share with the players "who goes and who is the second man," it becomes easier to instill.