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by Gary Rue
garyrue@bellsouth.net
 

NOTE:  Gary did not write these exercises and tips with the idea that someone would publish them.  I subscribe to the Soccer-Coach-L e-mail list and Gary is one of the coaches that posts extremely well thought out replies.  These are some of Gary's posts that I collected for use in coaching my own teams.   I approached Gary and he was gracious enough to allow me to publish them here.  If you like what you see or have a question about one of the exercises you can reach Gary at garyrue@bellsouth.net There are 50+ more pages of Gary's posts categorized at the Home Page of Exercises of the Day by Gary Rue. Click here and enjoy.

Flat Back Four - Individual Footwork

   All defensive systems are predicated upon the skills of the individual player. Individual training is the foundation  of a defense and then the individual is implemented into the system. The individual training for a zone system is no different from that of a man to man. At some point in (most?) all systems, there are man to man responsibilities as well as zonal concepts.

      Field players must develop the following defensive skills, regardless of the playing position:

• footwork, quick forward/backward/sideways movements and stops
• close down technique
• containment and shepherding
• tackling
• support
• double team
• recovery

Possibly the most important skill to develop with any defensive player is footwork. Defense by definition is a reactive state, where the attacker causes the defender to take steps to stop some action. Because of this, the defender be able to move quickly in all directions. The player must be able to stop and restart his movement. To do this, the player must be in a balanced position as often as possible, and the feet must be trained to move in the quickest and most efficient manner possible.

Note: I recommend flats when working on footwork early - it saves the field, the player's feet and reinforces balance without relying on cleats. Later, soccer boots must be used to further prepare the player.

        Footwork Exercises

• Quick Starts/Stops
  (stops must be as quick as starts):
  Setup - 20 yard parallel lines, team is spread out over one line
• jog forward, jog backwards
• jog/sprint/jog/sprint forward, then backwards (on coach's whistle/command)
• jog, stop on coach's command, sprint on coach's command
• sprint, stop, sprint
  
  Coaching Points
  Watch for over-adjustment of upper body such as leaning forward or backwards; hips too high, knees too straight; strides too long; first stride too long; extra foot movement to adjust.
  
• Starting Stance
  (players must be able to react with different foot positions):
  Setup (any exercise where the individual must start quickly)
• feet square
• one foot ahead of the other (reverse)
• sideways on (both sides)
• feet wide apart
• backwards and turn (both ways)
• jump, land and go
• laying on stomach/back
• off a somersault
• push by partner
• being held by partner
• moving with short quick steps in some direction
  
• Turns and Cuts
  (the ability to turn and cut sharply is most important):
  Setup--20 yard parallel lines, team is spread out over one line
• jog forward, spin and jog backwards (backwards to forwards)
• sprint forward, spin and sprint backwards (backwards to forwards)
  
  Setup -  5 to10 yard parallel lines, team is spread out over one line; may
  need to run in groups
• jog, plant (foot pointing forward), drop step turn (increase to sprint); change plant foot
• jog, plant (foot pointed 90 degrees in turning direction, drop step (increase to sprint)
• jog, plant (left foot pointed forward), cut to the right by stepping with right foot (increase speed, then change plant foot and turn direction)
• jog, plant left foot pointed to left, power or cross-over step past plant foot to the left (increase speed, then change plant foot and turn direction)
• jog, jump, land both feet, turn or cut
• jog, jump, turn in air, land both feel, cut
• jog, jump, land on one foot, cut
  
  Note: the star or wheel setup is excellent for these cuts. A 6-10 yard diameter circle with 8 spots. A player runs to the middle and cuts to the direction number and type turn chosen by the coach.
  
  Coaching Points - watch for adjustment steps or long and high looping steps on the cuts; rounded cuts are very common and must be made more acute; cross-over steps on cuts are very difficult when moving with any speed in one direction.
  
• Quick Feet
  (one of the most common faults is a wide foot position and long, high strides; defensive players must learn how to run with short quick strides):
  
  Setup - cones 3 yards apart north to south and east to west; exercises are timed at 15-30 second intervals with a 4-1 rest-work interval
   
• sideways shuffles between cones (east/west)
• up and back sprints between cones (north/south)
• sideways shuffles (one set), shift to other cone and up and back sprint (one set); continuous
• figure 8; west to north to east to west to south to east to west to north; etc.; run in opposition next time
  
  Setup - open area
   
• defensive two-step--square stance, feet a yard or so apart, run forward with a left/right/left combo to a square stance, feet a yard or so apart, and then move backwards with a right/left/right combo to the starting position. This is done as fast as possible continuously for 30 seconds. Use the next 30 seconds to rest and walk through the same steps, except starting with the right foot.
• carioka--moving sideways to right, right foot out, left foot crosses behind right, right foot out, left foot cross right in front, etc. switch directions
  
  Setup - zigzag 10 cones about 3-5 yards apart
   
• forward shuffle around each cone
• backwards shuffle around each cone
• forward run the first cone, backwards run around the next, etc.
• forward shuffle to the first cone, spin and backwards shuffle to the next
  
  Coaching Points
  Watch for hips too high and knees not bent (get the butt low); never allow the feet to cross on a shuffling exercise; brush the top of the grass with the sole of the feet.
  
  Setup - speed ladder or wooden slates 18 inches apart; flat cones can also be used, but cause the feet to step too high
   
• sprint forward--step every 18 inches
• sprint forward--double step (both feet in same area)
• sideways down ladder--double step every 8 inches
• facing forward--shuffle double step from side to side (double step in first section, step out, double step in next section, step out, etc.)
• facing backwards--shuffle double step from side to side
• sprint forward--alternate sections (every other one, every third, random)
• sprint forward--step out every square blocked off
• sprint forward--cross-over step in and out (left steps in, right steps out to the left side, left steps in (3rd area--36 inches), right steps out to the left side
• same as above except, right steps out to the left side, then after the left steps in the right steps out on the right side
  
  Coaching Points
  Let them have fun and ask them to feel as if they are dancing through these exercises; challenge them; watch for steps too high
  
         As one last comment, even though all of the above is done without a ball, there are many ways to incorporate these types of footwork exercise into a training program and still feel that the players have touched a ball sufficiently, be it during warm-ups, cool downs or in between. You want to prepare the feet to be able to move in a certain way, then you want to speed up that movement. Be careful that the feet and legs are not too fatigued when trying to train for speed of movement.

Flat Back - Individual - Close Down

      At most times the ball must be put under some kind of pressure. Low pressure is where the defender is a short but definitive distance from the ball. In low pressure situations, the defender and the defensive system wants to guide the ball into preferred areas or the defense just wants to prevent penetration by the attack. Low pressure defenses only want to give up low percentage chances to the attack, putting many players around the ball and staying compact in the central defensive end.

      With high pressure defenses, the ball is closed down quickly and tightly. This requires a high work rate by the defender, but the pressure is likely to cause mistakes and loss of possession by the attack.

      In either case, the first defender or the one most responsible for the man with the ball must know how to close down on the ball. The close down is a method that brings the defender to proper distance from the attacker, be it 5 yards or one foot.

     The close down starts when a ball is passed to an attacker. When the ball is in flight, the defender uses this time to sprint towards the receiving attacker. This is the critical time in a close down as it is the best time to gobble up ground between the defender and the attacker.  All too often, the defender does not react soon enough and gives the attacker great space to receive and decide what the next play will be.

      Just before the receiver is to touch the ball, the defender must stop the sprint and go into a balanced state, being ready to react in any direction. The closer to the attacker, the more critical being on balance becomes. It is when the defender is in motion that the attacker can use the defender's momentum to beat him. The defender must first stop, then change directions. Often in a directional change, the player is again off balance and can be beat again. An on balanced player can react quickly the first time in such a manner that he is still on
balance for the next reaction.

        To go on balance requires the player to suspend movement, with feet a comfortable distance apart. The body may be turned slightly facing the ball and the direction the player wants the attacker to go.

       After the touch is made, the defender uses the time before the next touch to close down more space. If the touch stays close to the attacker, the defender should go into a sideways-on (or side-on) stance and take short steps or hops to get closer to the attacker. The defender should stay as balanced as possible with any leanings away from attacker back towards the defended goal. The defender must not allow the attacker to get past or behind him, and that is why the defender should be ready to react quickly going backwards as he shuffles forward towards the ball. The reason he needs to be side-on is to be in a better position to go back.

       1v1 exercises are best for teaching close down. Either the defender serves the ball to an attacker and closes down or a third player serves the ball. It is critical that the ball is served from different angles and from different distances to train the defender properly. The defender should start from different distances from the attacker as well.

      Defenders that are beat by the attacker on the first or second touch are not on balance. Defenders that are not tight enough initially may not be working hard enough on the initial pass. Defenders that stay well off the attacker after reception are not closing down properly.

Flat Back Four - Individual - Support

      I will forego any discussion on containment, shepherding and tackling. These are critical defensive skills and techniques, but I want to put more emphasis on support, double teaming and recovery as we inch our way towards more flat back development.

     We will keep the defensive support comments in this section to positions that are near and "behind" the ball and the first defender, as there are support positions on the attacking side of the ball and behind, but off the ball.

     One of the first mandates of a coach to his players in a flat back defense (any defense really) is to "get behind the ball." Defensive support has three main functions:

• support the first defender on ball
• mark or be able to close down the support attacker(s)
• stop the through ball behind the defense

      The supporting position on the ball should be the first priority. The defender must be positioned to take over as the first defender if the attacker gets past the initial defender. This positioning should not be too close, as the attacker will probably be moving at speed if he beat the first defender. On the otherhand, the support defender should not be too far from the ball and give the attacker too much space and time before he comes under pressure again. The closer the ball is to the goal, the closer the defender should be in support; however, the more
angled the ball is to the goal (i.e., wide of the goal, but close to the goalline), the more distance (vertical) and the flatter (horizontal) the supporting defender can be in relation to the ball.

       3-7 yards can be used as a base vertical distance (also called depth). If the skill and speed of attacking players is considered greater than that of the defenders, the more depth a supporting defender may need. The depth could be extended to as much as 10 yards, the closer the ball is to the halfway. If the ball is being marked and supported by the midfielders, the backs may want to be 10-15 yards in support of the supporting defenders. This is another element in support defense that we will skip over for the time being.

      A good starting point rule of thumb on support angle and depth for the closest support defender may be to draw a line from the far post to the ball. The support defender should be somewhere along this line. This line puts the defender in good position to deter or prevent through balls. The problem with this method is when the ball is in the center of the field. The horizontal support angle of the far post line may be a little too vertical for a supporting defender.

      The support position is next dictated by the support attacker. The wider the attacker, the further away laterally, the support defender may want to play. The further away from the ball the attacker is, the further away from the support attacker the supporting defender can play (if the attacker is outside of the penalty area). The more dangerous position an attacker is in (such as a run on goal), the support defender must provide more attention, both visually and physically.

      A distance halfway between the two attackers is a good starting point if the attackers are square. If the second attacker is forward, the defender must give him attention and play tighter. Here the through ball between the defenders is a real concern as the defender will not have a distance advantage on the attacker if there is a run on goal.


        There are several ways to train supporting defense.
 

• Setup: 2v2 no defense;
  
  Attacker one (1A) has the ball,
  Defender one (1D) closes down and 2D moves into a supporting position between 1A and 2A.
  1A passes to 2A who is square, 2D immediately closes down and 1D drops back into support.
  Vary the exercise by the two attackers jogging down the field with the two defender going back with them. To liven up the exercise, have the receiving attacker try to beat the defender closing down or deliver a through pass to the other attacker making a run behind the recovering defender.
  
• Coaching points:
  
  watch for a too vertical drop position on the supporting defender; be sure the close down is proper. The coach can either have the first defender force the ball wide or take a defense stance that forces the ball towards his support.
  
• Setup: 1v1+1; in a 10x20 yard grid
  
  attacker is on the top of the grid, two defenders are on the bottom line; 2D plays a ball to the attacker as 1D closes down; if the attacker beats 1D, then 2D moves immediately into the first defender role. Vary the exercise to encourage more 2D participation by restricting 1D to no tackling and no participation past the halfway line.
  
• Setup: in a 30x20 grid,
  2D plays the ball to A well wide of the attacker, varying the depth; 2D must now recover from a wide starting position to get into a good supporting position. Add a goal and other restrictions on 1D's defense or when 2D can recover.
  
• Other small sided unrestricted games with small goals are 1v2 2v2, 3v2 are good environments to work on supporting defense.  
  
• Support may be the key element to flat back systems. We discussed the near ball support. Later on, we will talk about the off-ball support positioning, which actually is where the flat back gets it's name.

Flat Back - Individual - Recovery

    Adequate pressure on the ball and recovery of supporting defenders is a key to any defensive system, especially in a flat back. It is important that the recovery is with urgency and situation awareness. A recovering defender must get back to stop the ball, support the defender on ball,mark attackers in dangerous positions or support another supporting defender.

     In the following description, assume the scenario of the ball penetration being down the side. Later, penetration down the middle will be discussed briefly.

     The initial steps of a recovery run in many cases should be towards to the goal post nearest the player. As the defender recovers near post, he assesses the situation and starts to curve his run out when he feels he can get between the attacker and the goal. If he starts his run towards the attacker, the attacker may be able to angle towards the near post before the defender can get there. By starting towards the near post first, the defender should be able to keep the attacker wide of the goal (assuming the attacker is breaking down the center). The key time where a defender can start moving out off the near post run is when the defender is even or past the attacker. Here, speed of the attacker plays a role. A slower defender will want to continue recovering towards the near post until he is sure he can get between the attacker and the goal.

     Central defenders that are not recovering to ball want to recover towards the middle of the goal. They want to move out towards the ball and the first defender as they go past the first defender. It is important the recovering second defender look for other attackers that are moving into dangerous positions. The second defender should look for a position that will give support to the first attacker and a marking presence on the other attacker(s).

     The third recovering defender moves into support position to support the
second defender. At this point the third defender could take on the marking responsibilities of the second defender and allow the second defender to be in better (closer) position to support the first defender. This third defender may have recovered to the middle of the goal or to the far post, depending upon  how quickly the second defender recovered or where the off-ball attackers were going.

     In a flat back, the third and fourth back defenders shift towards the ball align themselves with the depth of the second attacker. Their key roles are to keep the defense compressed by not getting deeper than the second defender, provide near ball coverage by shifting over towards ball, stopping any balls played behind the second defender and marking or staying aware of any off ball attackers.

     Attackers that penetrate down the middle require the defenders to recover towards the center of the goal. It is very important for second defenders (one on each side of the ball) to stay fairly compact (3-5 yards wide of and behind the first defender). Again, this compactness may have to compromised to mark a near attacker. The defenders wide of the second defenders need to be compact as well and to pick up the marking responsibilities on attackers. The defense wants to provide a barrier across the danger zone in front of the goal, not allowing the
ball to penetrate any gaps and force the ball to be played square and wide.

      Recovery of the first defender can be practiced by setting up a 10 yard channel near a touch line from the goalline out. A ball is played down   the touchline for a wide attacker to run onto. A defender is positioned near but inside the attacker. The defender must recover and keep the attacker wide as the attacker tries to take the ball across the inside channel line. The defender's initial recovery angle and then the angle of closing down the ball are watched. If the defender does not recover to the inside, the attacker may be able to get in front. If the defender does not close down at a good angle or is still running, the attacker may be able to cut back behind the defender. The defender should be in a balanced close down position (see prior post on close down) to contain the attacker.

      A gate near the goalline can be created on the inner channel line for attackers that can get the goalline and cross the ball. The defender now must stop the attacker from cutting to the center, but stop the cross of any attacker that can get to the goalline. The starting position of the defender can be changed to get the desired results. Defenders with great speed will need to be shown the need to recover to the inside first, as their tendency is to run down the ball.

      The exercise can then be changed by removing the channel and letting the first attacker try to go on goal against a recovering defender, starting from the halfway. A second defender is added near the center circle to provide recovering support. A second attacker is added for the second defender to mark. A third defender is added and later a third attacker. A fourth defender could be added if the exercise is allowed to progress this far. When the third defender is added, the coach may want to start developing at this time the positioning of the defenders in the flat back system.

Flat Back - Individual - Double Team

     Without question, the double team is one of the least trained of the defensive techniques; however, it can easily be incorporated into warm-up or individual defensive exercises. The double team is a key element that takes a defensive system, especially zone or a flat back to the next level. The problem with the double team is that to do it correctly requires teamwork and timing.

     There are a couple of ways to effect a double team. One is for a defender to close down and pressure the ball, as the second defender comes in late, usually from behind. In this method, the first defender usually dictates the opportunity by stopping and containing the ball. The second defender moves in and is often the aggressor in trying to strip the ball from the attacker as the first defender continues to contain.

     The second method is the timed concurrent close down of both defenders. Often, this type of double team occurs close to the touch line where the attacker can be lured into a false sense of space and time as the defenders are some distance away. The close down is performed quickly and at the same time by both defenders. Almost always the other defender comes from the side or "square" of the attacker.

      The first order of business in the timed double team is to make sure the attacker cannot split the defenders or go forward. The "downfield" defender must take away the touchline drive as the "square" defender ensures the attacker cannot go between the  defenders. The defenders should be less concerned about winning the ball and focus on their defensive positioning.

     When next to the touchline (or goalline), the defenders should "allow" the attacker to lose the ball instead of the defender taking the ball. It does no good to kick the ball out of play and give the possession back to the attacker.

      Communication is important, but with training and experience, defenders can recognize and react without verbal or visual signals. In the delayed double team, once the defender feels he has the attacker under control, he can raise a hand or say "Double!" This would be a signal for the closest square of trailing defender to move in for the double team.

      In the case of a timed double team, the "in charge" defender should be the one that controls the penetration paths the attacker can take. He is the one that dictates when the close down takes places. Generally, he is the one that calls for his partner to get closer. Communication talk could be something like this, "Take square! With me! With me! Close! Close!"

      As added defensive protection, especially in a timed double team, a third defender should move into the path between the double teaming defenders. A good support distance would be 10-15 yards depending upon the positioning of the support attackers. The third defender should look to intercept any passes played between the double team.

     The timed double team can be trained in the warm-up dribbling game of Knock-out. The setup is a rectangle marked area such as 20x12, depending upon number of players, age and skill level. 8 to 15 players could work in this area. Two defensive players are identified and the other players dribble. Have the dribblers score points by dribbling from one goalline to the other. The defenders are to identify a dribbler, force the dribbler to a side line and "steal" the ball via a double team.  Attackers can retrieve balls knocked out of play by the defense and
start again. The defenders can compete for the quickest "knock-out" of all players or for the lowest attacker score.

     The coach should watch for and discourage "individual" defensive play, as the defenders should work together to "lock" an attacker in. Identify the players that take a lead role or work well together--this could help in establishing player positions in games.

      A good exercise to develop the delayed double team is a 1v1+1 setup. Practice along and close to a touchline. D1 plays a ball to A1 and closes down. D2 who starts 10 yards behind A1 and doesn't move until A1 touches the ball or until D1 communicates control.

     The coach should look for a good recovery angle to come in from the side to keep A1 from cutting into the middle.

     Often, the defense will have the extra numbers around the ball to make double teaming a possibility and can provide their team with the opportunity for great counter attack situations.