Welcome to the Soccer Newsletter. Today's topic will deal with defending the
throw in (kind of an obscure topic, don't you think?).
Most people don't give any thought to subjects like this but the truth is this is a
terrible mistake.The throw in can be such a tremendous offensive opportunity and while
good coaches might spend a decent amount of time practicing throw ins very few even
mention the importance of defending them.
What does the typical player do when the ball goes out of play? Frequently, the
first reaction is to look to the assistant referee to see whose throw in it is (first
mistake since they should pick the ball up and throw it if they aren't sure). If it
is the opponents throw in, the key is to focus right away and make some real quick
decisions regarding where are the most dangerous players on the field? Then you must
figure who can mark those players right away. Once this is accomplished, you find
the next most dangerous players and get them marked up. Until each defensive player
has figured out their defensive responsibilities, they must work their way back behind the
ball. It is much easier to get behind the ball and then go forward to get to your
mark then it is to have to run a player down from behind.
Defensive throw ins do not require a great deal of speed or size or anything but
determination. This is a very short newsletter not because it's not a serious
subject but rather because it's really not so much of a technical or tactical thing but
instead it's a heart and brain type of thing. The teams that defend throw ins well
are the teams that are mentally prepared to play for the entire game.
There is a good way to prepare for this type of game situation. Play a small sided
game where whoever gets to a ball that goes out of play first gets to throw it in.
This will encourage players to react quickly to dead balls. If the team that throws
the ball in scores on any of the first three touches after the throw in, it counts
as 3 points. All other goals count as one point. This will encourage both
teams to react quickly
to any dead ball situation
If you have questions about this or anything else, please send them to
comments@finesoccer.com
