When we're beaten, the defensive slide can't get there in time. How should I teach the movement to cover for a teammate?

When a teammate is beaten, the defensive slide can't catch up. I think positioning and decision-making are also factors, but I want to teach elementary school age players the awareness and actual movement of covering.

A question from a father-coach wondering how to help them understand.

Tadashi Ikegami, who has served as a development coach at JEF United Ichihara Chiba and as Home Town Academy Director at Kyoto Sanga F.C., and has coached over 600,000 children of all ages, explains how to teach the movement to cover for a teammate. (Composition and text: Yuko Shimazawa)

<Question from a father-coach>

Hello. I'm a dad-coach at a boys' club. (Coaching age group: U-12) That said, I don't have football experience, and I'm in the middle of studying various things, including getting a D license.

About supporting a teammate, but when someone is beaten, the defensive slide often can't catch up.

Is this because of positioning, or because they can't see what's around them? I think it's probably both, but how should I help them understand so they can do it?

Thank you very much.

<Advice from Ikegami>

Thank you for your question.

One attacker and two defenders. You should start from the point of, how do the two of you defend a 1 vs 2 situation?

Try letting them experience the entrance to covering

So at first, let them do it without the coach saying anything.

For example, if the front defender has the back defender on their left side, and the opposing attacker comes to beat them on their right side, the back defender may not catch up.

If they experience that, then the next time, which side should the front defender force the opponent toward, left or right? Or, looking at the front defender's situation, predict whether the back player should go left or right. This is the minimum number of players for the defensive slide. I think that is the entrance to covering.

In Japan, zonal defending is taught from elementary school age. If elementary school players set up a three-back in an 8-a-side game, they divide the width of the pitch into three and watch the players who come into their zone. That is the basic idea.

For example, if one player goes to the ball carrier, the two players on either side drop back a little and narrow the gaps. That way, the middle won't be split open. This is the basis of zonal defending.

This changes when it becomes man-to-man. Even if one player goes to the ball carrier, the attackers on both sides each have a man-to-man defender on them, so they have no choice but to spread wide. In that case, the defenders on both sides, while thinking about what to do when a teammate is beaten by the ball carrier, stick with their own mark, but they have to watch both the ball and their own mark.

Thinking about it that way, in this question, the defensive slide not being in time when someone is beaten may first be because they can't see what's around them.

So how do you teach seeing what's around them? At first, have the person with the ball move little by little. Have them dodge their marker and move about 3 meters, then stop, and ask the two defenders on either side, what do you think you should do here? In that way, have them find the optimal position.

In development age groups in Germany and elsewhere, players learn to see what's around them and develop danger-awareness

In Europe, including Germany, development age groups mainly adopt man-to-man defending, and have players learn to see what's around them and develop danger-awareness. Start from 1 vs 2 as above, and increase the numbers to 2 vs 3, 3 vs 4.

As the numbers increase, the number of things you have to predict increases more and more. The ball isn't coming to your side, but when the ball goes to one more player outside, what should I do? You have to think about that too.

In addition, it's important for defenders to talk to each other. For example, if someone calls from behind, force him right, it becomes easier to coordinate.

Even at prefectural training level, when defending becomes man-to-man, passes stop connecting

I have coached U-12 at prefectural training in various prefectures, and when I first let them play freely in 8-a-side, everyone is good, so passes connect quite well. Then when I tell them, defending is man-to-man. Everyone decide your own mark, the passes suddenly stop connecting.

I show that to the prefectural training coaches and say, why does this phenomenon happen? Isn't it actually that they aren't defending (with zone)? When you watch, when children are playing zonal defending and a pass is played behind them, they don't chase where the player they were marking went. Not a few players stop immediately. In other words, they haven't confirmed the position of their opponent. Because of that, they are easily played in behind and the ball is passed around more and more. From the attacking side, it's a situation where they can create a numerical advantage at any time. However, when defending is changed to man-to-man, the attacking side has every teammate marked, so they don't pass much. Therefore, the ball stops circulating.

As you, the person consulting, have written, when you use a zone, problems such as sliding and passing off players arise. As one conclusion, I believe that in order to get players to understand the fundamental principles of defending, it is absolutely better for them to experience man-to-man defense.

When you use man-to-man defense, the opponent struggles to move the ball around, but in reality, we ourselves, who are constantly chasing our marked player, also struggle. That is why zonal defense was born.

■ Having players experience man-to-man defending makes it easier for them to acquire cover awareness

One more thing. While they are elementary school students, teach them the structure of attacking more thoroughly than defending. I also talk a lot about the attacking side. When we lose a match or at other such times, I do talk about "What does it mean to defend?", but I do not do that thoroughly.

In practice, I sometimes have them play man-to-man. When they do, even if they are marking when the opponent has the ball, once a teammate wins the ball, now it is attack, so they have to leave their mark. If they leave, then when the ball is taken away, there are times when they cannot get to their mark. I have them experience that kind of chaotic state.

Within that, I teach them things like: when another teammate cannot get there in time, who goes? Who is closest? They have to find that out properly on their own. In that sense, starting with man-marking makes it easier to acquire.