FineSoccer Kids 50

Welcome to the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter.  Today’s subject deals with marking the most dangerous players on the field.

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Too often, players on defense don’t understand who are the most dangerous players on the field and react accordingly.  The obvious question is “Who is the most dangerous player on the field?”  At least to me, the just as obvious answer is “the player with the ball!”  Since only the player who has the ball can score (and, of course, keeping in mind that the player who has the ball can change very quickly) that player who has the ball is the most dangerous offensive player at all times.  This means that when you see a player dribble down the field and score and no one stepped up to mark that player, it’s because players didn’t understand who was actually the most dangerous player.

Once the player with the ball is marked, the next thing to do is mark the NEXT most dangerous player.  This would be the player closest to goal (the goal the attacking team is trying to score in).  The reason this player is the next most dangerous player is that if she receives the ball (and is onside) she is the one most likely to go straight to goal and can get there in the shortest time possible.  Once this player is marked, the NEXT most dangerous player is the next closest player to goal.  In terms of marking the most dangerous players on the field, it keeps going in this way so the first thing to do is mark the player with the ball, and then the players closest to goal.

Please understand that like all “rules of thumb” there are exceptions to this rule but as a general rule, it’s a good one to abide by in order to get players marked up quickly and properly.

While the player closest to the goal you are defending is the second most dangerous player, it doesn’t mean you have to be right on this player.  You can still provide support to your teammates and the further this player is from the ball the further you can be from this player and still have her marked.

When teams understand who the most dangerous players are on the field and mark accordingly, they become much more successful because the opponent finds it harder and harder to score.

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Have a great day!

Lawrence