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FineSoccer Kids 68
Welcome to the FineSoccer Kids Newsletter. Today’s subject deals with defending a player whose back is to the goal.
First a reminder about the two new books offered by FineSoccer.com. SoccerAtEase by Lawrence Fine and Pursuing Personal Perfection by Barry Gorman deals with how to be successful both in soccer and in life. Here is what one reader has said: “Just wanted to drop a note to you about your wonderful book. It was a joy to read. Great information. I am sharing it with my U13 girl’s team. My daughter loves it. Thanks. Tim Dean”. To learn more please go to http://finesoccer.com/socceratease.htm
When you are defending a player whose back is to the goal she is trying to attack (think of the situation of a forward checking back to the ball) the first thing you would like to try to do is try to beat the opponent to any ball passed into her. If you can’t do this, the next thing is to prevent her from turning with the ball. Many players seem to know they shouldn’t let a player turn and they will do everything they can to not let her turn with her first touch BUT as soon as she receives the ball and takes a touch away from the goal she is attacking, too many defenders then fall back and allow the turn to be made. It’s extremely important that the defender NOT allow the turn to be made whether on the first touch or the 10th. As the player with the ball dribbles away from the goal, the defender must stay right on her to not give her the space needed to turn.
The next mistake defending players tend to make when defending a player whose back is to the goal is if the attacking player receives the ball, is stopped from turning and plays the ball off, the defender starts to relax. Smart attacking players will lay the ball off and then spin away trying to get behind the defender (in a way that will keep them onside). Because of this, when a player whose back is to the goal passes the ball, the player defending her must work back to both prevent the attacking player from getting beyond her and also to help provide defensive support to her teammates.
Defending a player whose back is to the goal is something that players must practice and really concentrate on but it’s something that doesn’t require great size, or speed to do so the only thing holding players back from being better at this is their lack of training or desire.
Any comments, questions or suggestions should be sent to Lawrence@finesoccer.com
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Have a great day!
Lawrence