The positioning of players relative to the ball, their team mates and the opposition
Traditionally a case of two banks of four defensive shape has developed with the increasing variety of formations and tactics.
The session plans below explore a number of top level themes around defensive shape in pairs, units and as a team in different formations and scenarios.
by Tanya Oxtoby in Defending
This session is about players developing their decision-making skills by executing our defending principles at the right times and in the right areas. It incorporates 1v1 defending, reading cues and triggers, making play predictable, and winning the ball back in the first, second or third lines. MORE
by Paul Heckingbottom in Defending
This session is all about building the defensive role of every position when out of possession. It starts with individuals defending in 1v1 and 3v2 situations and builds all the way through the units to whole team defending when out of possession. I like this session because all the problems posed to players are realistic to game situations. MORE
by Ben Garner in Defending
Defending against the counter-attack and reacting quickly to these transitions of play is important. That’s because in the modern era, once teams win possession they are capable of breaking forward at great speed and with real quality. The ability to make the correct countering defensive decisions is a core part of being a successful defender.... MORE
by John Still in Defending
In this session, we try to give players an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in defensive zones in and around the box – this includes defending individually and as a back four unit. We also look at covering, team balance, and the ability to support. It’s important to practise this because, more than anywhere... MORE
by Chris Powell in Defending
This is a session focused on defending against a particular formation. It is aimed at stopping a team that plans to attack in a 4-2-3-1 set-up. When facing a team who have the ability to pass through you or exploit spaces with their running on the ball, being unbalanced in your shape and not closing... MORE
by Jimmy Bell in Defending
This session is looks at defensive structure – movement from side to side, pressure on the ball and cover from supporting players. Good defensive organisation is obviously called upon throughout matches, so these are principles that must always be practised. We believe that the unity of defenders and a shared knowledge of how to deal... MORE
by Keith Hill in Defending
This session is about defending the 18-yard box when in control and when in states of ‘chaos’. It’s a great practice that improves both individuals and collective units, and instills rare fundamentals of the art of defending the red zone/danger zone (or 18-yard box). The reason I like this session so much is because the... MORE
by Alex Morris in Defending
This session places an emphasis on midfield units staying compact and being hard to penetrate when out of possession. I like to run this because although it is midfield weighted, it strongly focuses on defensive ideas, which is important because defending is traditionally a less appealing topic in the minds of players. The introduction of... MORE
by Iain Dowie in Defending
This overview session is about the responsibilities of the back four, and how they use distance, movement and angles in order to produce a formidable defensive unit. This is an important session for improving confidence, because a proficient defensive base acts as a springboard for the whole team, not least in a side’s ability to counter-attack... MORE
by Keith Hill in Attacking
Analysis at the end of our 2008/09 League Two campaign showed we needed to develop a new collective responsibility to defend against the counter-attack. We knew this would increase our potential to keep clean sheets whilst also ensuring that we had players in good areas of the pitch in order to regain and maintain possession.... MORE
by Dario Gradi in Defending
Use this session to get your team working defensively… as individuals, as pairs, as a back four, and as an entire team. MORE
by John Sheridan in Defending
This session is about the reactions and movements of defensive players. It looks primarily at the role of the back four in squeezing up and condensing play as they would do in a match day situation, yet also checks on how players in other areas need to adapt their movements so as to protect the... MORE
by Lee Johnson in Defending
The purpose of this session is to assess and coach the specific roles of the defensive unit, to include defensive protocols, communication and recognising triggers. It’s a session pivotal to how we organise our defensive thinking at Barnsley, and although it is specific to our back four, it is introduced in the context of the... MORE
by Nathan Jones in Defending
This session is all about teaching players when to press and when to drop as a defensive unit and it encourages them to identify and respond to the visual triggers shown by their opponents. As a practice, it allows for the consistent repetition of the key triggers but within varied circumstances, helping players to quickly... MORE
by Terry Butcher in Formations and Tactics
This is the kind of training session I run with my teams in the build up to a match. It helps to rehearse the formation and shape we are going to use and it also introduces the shape and tactics that we expect our opponents to employ. Tactics are not always set in stone and... MORE
by Graham Biggs in Defending
This is a defending session. It is made up of three practices that are all designed to focus on denying opponents the opportunity to progress and penetrate with the ball. MORE
by Mick McCarthy in Defending
This session is a straight competition between defenders and attackers. It takes the principles of defending as individuals, in units and as a team, whilst also encouraging forwards and midfielders to engage, thus making it as realistic as possible for defenders. MORE
by Quique Sanchez Flores in Defending
This session teaches your players how to defend as a unit and how to delay an attack, even when faced by attackers who outnumber you. It works on improving individual defensive skills and reinforces the need for speed to stop an attack. MORE
by Neil Warnock in Defending
The key with this session is to teach defenders when to mark the man and when to mark space, with the philosophy of ‘being in position when out of possession’. MORE
by Phil Parkinson in Defending
Use this defensive practice to teach players how to hold the line, whilst defending threats that emerge through the middle as well as from wide areas. MORE
by Owen Coyle in Defending
Use this purely defensive session to structure the back four against opposing attacks with different formations. It is an excellent session when preparing for matchday. MORE
by Phil Parkinson in Defending
This session begins with simple 1v1 and 2v2 defending exercises in order to rehearse players in the basics. It then progresses through practices designed to show defenders how to deal with attacking wide players and how to prevent crosses. MORE
by Dave Jones in Defending
Get your back four working as a unit, whilst developing a clear understanding of defensive roles. This will create a solidity that is difficult for opposition teams to penetrate, meaning attackers can only create chances by doing something really special. MORE
by Mick McCarthy in Defending
Use this session to create a positive mindset to defending – it makes teams hard to beat and teaches players not to concede cheap goals. MORE
