FineSoccer Kids 12

Welcome to the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter. Today's subject deals with a very simple concept but one that doesn't seem to be understood very well by players or coaches. The subject is what is the easiest way to prevent the opponent from scoring?

Too often, I see teams defending and defending and when they finally win the ball, what is the first thing they do? They kick the ball downfield and give the ball right back to the opponent.

The best way to prevent an opponent from scoring is to keep possession of the ball. This is such a simple concept but one that is too often ignored. If your team has the ball, the chance of the opponent scoring is very slim (there is, of course, always a chance of giving up an own goal but that happens so rarely it's not something I am going to take into consideration).

If your team has been spending a great deal of time on defense, and you then win the ball, one of the first things that should go through your mind is to keep possession (as a team not necessarily as an individual). It almost always takes more energy to play good defense rather than good offense so if you have been playing a lot of defense, chances are you are more tired then the opponent. If you are smart, you will then force them to play defense by keeping some possession of the ball which will allow you to rest (some at least) while forcing them to work hard defending. Let the ball do the work for your team and make the legs do all of the work for their team and you will see a quick shift in the way the game is going.

Having said this, please understand that there are times when you will be in trouble in the defensive third of the field when it will be important to just knock a long ball down the field to get it away from your goal and this is certainly acceptable but whenever possible, if you want to keep the other team from scoring (and also want to increase your teams chances of scoring) look to maintain possession while looking for scoring opportunities

Any comments, questions or suggestions should be sent to kidscomments@finesoccer.com.

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Have a great day!

Lawrence