Football: football defence

I am doing my level 2 football coaching and need help with my 12 session plans that i have to do 4 of them have to be linked can anyone help me Nigel

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Hi i coach an under 13s side and they play great pass and move football but we are weak when defending does anyone know any decent defence drills where they are required to work as a unit

My team has just moved up to youth football 11 aside. Our defence is solid and our forwards skillfull and quick but we seem unable to win the ball in midfield. Our midfielders watch what is happening hoping the opposition midfielder will mess up, rather than attacking the ball. Encouragement from the sidelines does not seem to help. Can you suggest some training drills.

I am a coach with a U12 girls team, we are having difficulty keeping them in their zones...they all rush to where the ball is and the other team passes into the open area and then socre.

Hi I am doing my final assessment for my level 2 football coaching course, and my topic is compactness in defence, just wondering if anyone has had to do this and if so could they help with ideas, or even better have session plans which I can look at for ideas. Thanks, Rickey

I run an under 11's team and wondered what formation is best for 9v9. Also any good drills for both attacking and defending regards to off sides

Hi we have just started out as a team and in the few friendlies we have had the children are not defending at all. I understand at this age to keep it easy and interesting but would welcome any tips I could use in training.Thanks

Could anybody provide me with any drills to beat a high press from the opposition when we are taking a goal kick, during a under 11 9 aside game. The team is a developing side with very mixed abilities. Our goalies cannot kick the ball far which leads us to lose possession around the 18 yard box.Any ideas would be much appreciated?

Does anyone know any good defending drills not for a team but for an individual it has been hard to find any drills other than the basics of defending and some ones to do with jockeying and body positioning.

Any drills for teaching young players about offsides and more importantly keeping a good defensive line and moving as a unit

Team keep getting thrashed every week - where to start? Having been the sole coach/manager of a little league team for the past two years, this year I lost all my senior players. I was therefore presented with 10 brand new lads, some of whom have never played competitive football. We are 8 games in and my lads are getting thrashed every week. The main problems are that they cannot get the ball out of their half, positions are usually a mess, finishing and chance creation are non-existent, and they don't apply any pressure or are unable to tackle. The main problems are keeping the ball as a team, getting it in the opponents half and staying there, and creating/finishing chances. I only have 1 and a half hours a week with them. I don't really know what to do, and I'm a little desperate. Does anybody have any advice? Thanks for literally anything.

I run a U11 team that is reasonably successful and plays with confidence and spends a lot of the time on the front foot. However we seem to get caught week after week by the simple long ball over the top and would welcome some tips/drills to help the lads improve this part (it's driving me mad!). Thanks in advance.

Hello all! My kids aged 9 and 7 are very slow when compared to their peers of the same age. They don't seem to fight for the ball and get and watch others play their game. They seem to lack the urgency (heart) needed for the game. (They LOVE football). How can make them move around and react faster. Any help you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks O

Hi I have quite a large squad (11) for my U9s team. Sometimes not all of them turn up but when they do managing the substitutions can be a nightmare. Have tried planning it out and making 3 subs on a rotation every 6 or 7 minutes. This works OK, just wondered how others do it? Thanks! Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

Hi all, I've just started coaching a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds and would like to discuss with my fellow coaches any drills which you have found to be safe, fun and valuable to the younger age group. I have my level 1 course under my belt and have difficulty in applying what I've learnt to the small kids. They get bored very quickly and are only interested in playing a match at the end of the session. They have no interest in passing the ball or shooting at goal whilst doing drills. Running with the ball is no problem as they are keeping active and all have a ball at their feet. As soon as they line up or have to share a ball, there are problems. I have a variety of drills which I run through with them, traffic lights, robin hood, alamo, sharks and fishes to name a few with variations of each but I crave more as everywhere I search caters for U6 upwards. I coach an U8 side midweek and have no problem with these lads as they are that bit older and have a greater level of concentration. (not by much mind). So I'm asking for advice from anyone who has coached 4 and 5 YOs and would like to know what has worked for you. PM replies welcome.  Marc

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