The Basics of Soccer Defending【Youth Soccer】5 Principles and the Order to Teach Them

Hello, this is Coach Kazu.

Are you properly teaching defensive pressing? I think many of you end up just saying "Go forward from the front somehow!"

For example, some of you may feel as follows.

• You know challenge & cover and sliding, but you do not know how to link them as a team
• You do not know what to teach first in defense, or in what order
• You have seen articles and training menus on defense, but they are scattered and you cannot grasp the overall picture

In this article, I will organize the basics of defense that I focus on in the junior age group, using 5 principles and the order to teach them. Each principle has a link to a detailed article, so please use this as a summary of defense articles.

1. Main elements of defensive tactics

When we talk about defensive tactics, I think what most of you come up with is the following.

• Challenge & cover (covering)
• Delay (slowing down)
• Slide (horizontal slide and vertical slide)
• Vigilance (alertness)
• Marking (zone, man-to-man, mixed)

Surprisingly, defensive tactics do not have that many elements. By the upper grades, players can do them to a certain degree.

2. Pressing is an action for the whole team to win the ball

Pressing is an action for the whole team to win the ball. And within the tactic of pressing, basic individual and group defensive tactics are included. The image is that tactical concepts such as covering, sliding, anticipation, and vigilance are involved in the overall movement.

Another important thing is to do it not as a reaction, but as an action that you initiate yourself. Otherwise, pressing will not work well.

1. Why you must not learn by patterns

The opponent's attacking patterns, how they carry the ball, and their formation are different every time. If we do it by patterns, we need countless detailed patterns, and intensity also drops.

If you create detailed patterns for each case, players are moved by the coach's top-down instructions, and they become unable to respond to the opponent's countless movements.

2. Have them understand the basic concepts and let the players play

So I have them understand the basic concepts and let the players play. I instill the core principles, and the rest is handled flexibly. I believe that is where the team's self-organization and emergence are born.

What should be focused on in the junior age group is the following 5. Honestly, I do only about this much.

1. Close the center and make them pass to the side

Approach with the image of forcing them from inside to outside, not from outside (this assumes pressing with zone marking). If the neighboring player bites without closing the inside, a gap opens and the ball goes through.

This is the same for the defensive line. It can be said for any location and any formation, so it can be called a principle.

I wrote in detail about the types of marking (zone and man-to-man) here.

2. Covering and sliding (the relationship of the pair)

The defensive unit is an image of the relationships of pairs being linked together. The player next to the one who approached must aim for both covering and intercepting the pass. The player next to that player slides while keeping the line aligned.

Covering too deep, or only aiming to intercept passes, are both mistakes. This is the same not only in 8-a-side but also in 11-a-side.

3. For the ball holder in the center, the central player goes out

When the opponent has the ball in the center, if a wide player goes out, the wide area gets used. Wide players must not abandon the wide area. When the central player goes out, the players on both sides close the inside and aim for covering and intercepting the pass.

4. Vertical shift (vertical slide)

When the front player has no choice but to jump out, the player behind slides vertically and aims. This is an idea I actually adopted when pressing from the goalkeeper against a team above our level that also uses the goalkeeper.

When you make a vertical shift, vigilance against long balls is also part of it. The trigger condition for when to go is also important.

5. Players on the far side are "vigilant"

Sliding too much to the ball side and leaving the far outer side of the opposite side open. This is a mistake often seen around 4th grade.

Since we defend in a zone, even if 2 opponents come in, we watch both at the same time. Vigilance means that even if you cannot directly aim to intercept the pass, you prepare so you can go when the ball is played there.

6. Supplement: The role of the approaching player changes depending on whether they are the first, second, etc.

Is it as the first defender, or the next defender after guiding the ball outside? The role changes depending on which number player is approaching. This is decided by task setting and team rules.

If you focus on these basic concepts, the team's pressing will function to a certain degree. That is my long-held feeling.

1. Lower grades: Go to win the ball, and chase even if you are beaten

For the lower age groups, we start from the stage before challenge and cover or sliding. Before technique comes building the mentality. The attitude of going to win the ball, and the second chase to go and win it again even after being beaten.

I use a long distance of about 30 meters and do 1v1 to a line goal.

② Around 3rd grade: Delay

Around 3rd grade, I think they can understand delay to a certain extent. If you are always getting caught on the counter, it might be better to start from delay.

③ 4th and 5th grade: From the big-picture design to pressing

From around 4th and 5th grade, I think you can teach pressing. Building defense tends to start from the details, but with defense, I think it is better to fit the details into the big-picture overall design.

In short, it is about what is necessary in matches. We decide not only by age, but by looking at what stage the current team is at.

5. Defensive training menu: pairs → groups of three → DF line

The defensive block is built up in the order of "pairs → groups of three → DF line."

① 4v2 rondo (the pair relationship)

When one player approaches, the adjacent player closes the inside and looks to win the ball played outside. We do not start with details like one-side cut from the beginning, but start from a rough basic image. If you approach and a pass is played, immediately return and close.

This series of movements is encouraged through coaching.

② 5v3 rondo (the group-of-three relationship)

If the opponent has the ball in the center, the central player jumps out. The adjacent player closes the inside and guides the ball outside. Here, the concept of vertical shifting also comes out.

It is an image of building the group-of-three relationship from the pair unit.

③ 4v4 + 4 servers (with direction)

When you do this practice, the players mostly forget the principles. We unravel them one by one. Closing the inside while watching the two at the same time, and not forgetting to be alert to the opposite side.

Once you get to this point, you can mostly instill the basic concepts of 8-a-side pressing.

① Do not start from the details first

Even though the team's overall pressing shape is not shared, doing vertical cut or left cut will not work well.

② After the pass is played, the movement stops

There are many children whose movement stops after the pass is played. The continuity of aiming, stepping out, and returning is important. To the player who approached, I tell them, "You can let the pass be played. Stop the dribble in 1v1."

③ If you do too much defense, the team becomes defensive

After returning to Japan, there was a period when I tried to properly do defensive tactics. It is true that our defense got better, but the team became defensive.

Thinking in terms of development, defense is about 20 to 30 percent. The rest focuses on the attacking side. Just covering the basics is enough. That is my conclusion from my own failed real experience.

Summary

• There are not that many elements of defensive tactics. Pressing is an action for the whole team to win the ball
• Teach defense not by "shapes (patterns)" but by "principles"
• The 5 principles to cover in the junior age group = ① Close the center and send the ball to the side ② Covering and sliding ③ Central to central ④ Vertical shifting ⑤ Be alert to the far side
• A guide to the order of teaching = lower age groups go to win the ball and second chase, 3rd grade delay, from 4th and 5th grade pressing
• Practice is three stages: 4v2 rondo → 5v3 rondo → 4v4 + 4 servers
• Do not start from the details. Defense is 20 to 30 percent, the rest focuses on attack

In defense, I think there are many situations where continuing to think is more important than memorizing the correct answer. Cover the basics, and then please value the fun of attack!