There's nothing worse than a defender who dives in willy nilly, without thinking about whether it's the right thing to do or not. To help prevent this sort of reckless defending in this session we look at ways you can get your players to hold up their man, forcing them wide and hold up the attacker until the cavalry arrives!
Facing down an oncoming attacker is no easy feat. However, if you know how it needn't be quite so intimidating.
To deal with these tricky situations we practice 1 v 1s, starting with a drill which sees your defenders shadowing their man, standing with bent knees so that they're ready to change direction at any given moment! After this your players will progress through a number of increasingly difficult 1v1 drills which will test their ability to defend against an oncoming player when it matters the most - just like in a real match your players will be penalised if they dive in and don't get the ball too - so the stakes are raised!
The 2026 World Cup is nearly upon us. Here is Sportplan's preview for the tournament on who we think is going to do well and which teams to look out for.
Discover our new Coaching Trends section - in-depth articles covering the latest tactics, techniques and innovations across Football, Hockey, Cricket, Rugby, Netball, Basketball, Tennis, Handball and Volleyball.
Save yourself a scare this Halloween and ensure your session runs smoothly. No chaos, no fright, just structure.
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