How can you coach defending the long ball?
How can you coach defending the long ball? My team moved up to 11-a-side last season and struggled when attempting to play off-side with the high ball over the top. Has anyone got any session/drills to target this defending?
The entire team is important when defending the long ball. The long ball is ideally employed when the defending team is slightly out of position so the attacking team will be looking for a quick long ball. It therefore starts with whoever is closest to the ball to try and cut out the long ball. As it is usually the defenders who employ the long ball, your attackers must cut out the long ball (see my stuff for some drills on this). This should eliminate most of the successful long balls. As for the other 10 percent, having a footballing goalkeeper definitely helps. Look for drills that practice defending headers. However, I would not employ too much of the offside trap.
sportplan_football
