Tewksbury Soccer Club Register

U10 7V7 Defending

Week 8 · Session goal

Improve preventing the opponent from building up in their own half - 2

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MomentDefending
Duration60 minutes
Players12
Format7V7

Player actions

Protect the goal, Make it and Keep it compact, Pressure, Cover & Balance

Key qualities

Read the game, Take initiative, Focus, Optimal physical abilities

Skill acquisition

Pressure: Angle and Speed of approach, Distance, Body position, Tackle choice (poke or block) - Cover: Distance, body position.

The session

1

Play phase

Intentional Free Play

20 min3 intervals · 5 min play · 1.5 min rest

Objective

To regain the ball in the opponent's half.

Player actions

Protect the goal, Make it and Keep it compact, Pressure, Cover & Balance.

Organization

In a 7v7 field set up two 19Wx30L fields with a small goal at each end. Play 1v1, 2v1, up to 3v3. Play 3 rounds for a total of 20 minutes. Play with kick-ins and dribble-ins when the ball goes out of bounds. SKILL ACQUISITION: Speed and Angle of Approach, Distance of Approach, Footwork, Body Shape and Types of Tackles - Poke or Block.

Key wordsBlock the openingsWork togetherHassle and Help.

Guided questions

How do you close the openings to not let the ball go forward?

Get the closest defender in front of the ball

What do the other defenders do to work together to close the openings?

They get compacted and stay compacted behind the defender in front of the ball

Coach note

First break, the coach asks questions to the players, players do not answer them but play to discover the answers. Second break, the coach asks questions and players will answer them .

2

Core activity

4v5 to goal - dribbling gates

20 min3 intervals · 5 min play · 1.5 min rest

Objective

To regain the ball in the opponent's half.

Player actions

Protect the goal, Make it and Keep it compact, Pressure, Cover & Balance.

Organization

In the attacking half of a 7v7 field, set up a 40Wx30L field with a regular goal and two dribbling gates. The 4 Blue players: 1 midfielder, 2 wingers and 1 striker will try to regain the ball and score in the regular goal. The Red team: 1 GK, 3 defenders and 1 midfielder will try to score by dribbling the ball through one of the two 10 yard dribbling gates. Play with a build out line. All Laws of the game in effect. If the Blue team scores, the Red team gets a goal-kick to restart the game. Rotate players every interval. SKILL ACQUISITION: Speed and Angle of Approach, Distance of Approach, Footwork, Body Shape and Types of Tackles - Poke or Block.

Key wordsBlock the openingHassleWork togetherAnd Help.

Guided questions

What does the closest defender to the ball do to block the opening to pass the ball forward?

Protect the goal by getting in front of the ball then press the attacker

When is a good time to hassle the attacker with the ball?

Bad first touch or receiving facing the goal

Where should the other defenders move to help?

They need to work together, get and stay compacted plus provide cover and balance

Coach note

Switch to the Less Challenging activity if it is too difficult or to the More Challenging if it is too easy.

3

Less challenging

5v5 to goal-dribbling gate

Objective

To regain the ball in the opponent's half.

Player actions

Protect the goal, Make it and Keep it compact, Pressure, Cover & Balance.

Organization

In the attacking half of a 7v7 field, set up a 40Wx30L field with a regular goal and one 15 yard dribbling gate. The 4 Blue players: 1 midfielder, 2 wingers and 1 striker will try to regain the ball and score in the regular goal. The Red team: 1 GK, 3 defenders and 1 midfielder will try to score by dribbling the ball through the 20 yard dribbling gate. Play with a build out line. All Laws of the game in effect. If the Blue team scores, the Red team gets a goal-kick to restart the game. Rotate players every interval. SKILL ACQUISITION: Speed and Angle of Approach, Distance of Approach, Footwork, Body Shape and Types of Tackles - Poke or Block.

Key wordsBlock the openingsWork togetherHassle and Help.

Guided questions

How do you close the openings to not let the ball go forward?

Protect the goal by getting the closest defender in front of the ball

When is a good time to hassle the attacker with the ball?

When he/she does not have a good first touch or bad receiving body position

What do the other defenders do to work together to close the openings?

Make it and stay compacted behind the defender in front of the ball

Coach note

Switch to this activity if the Core is too difficult for the players. Week 8 FIVE ELEMENTS of TRAINING EXERCISE TRAINING SESSION SELF-REFLECTION QUESTIONS 1. Organized: Is the exercise organized in the right way? 2. Game like: Is the exercise game like? 3. Repetitions: Are there repetitions when looking at the overall goal of the session? 4. Challenging: Are the players being challenged? (Is there the right balance between being successful and unsuccessful?) 5. Coaching: Is there the proper coaching based on the age/level of the players? 1. How did you achieve your goals in the training session? 2. What did you do well? 1. What could you do better? MORE CHLLENGING: 4v6 to goal - dribbling gates DURATION: 20 min -- INTERVALS: 3 --ACTIVITY: 5 min --REST: 1.5 min

4

Play phase

The Game - 6V6

20 min2 intervals · 8 min play · 2 min rest

Objective

To regain the ball in the opponent's half.

Player actions

Protect the goal, Make it and Keep it compact, Pressure, Cover & Balance.

Organization

In a 7v7 field (40Wx60L) play 6v6. The Blue will play in 1-1-3-1 formation and Red teams will play in a 1-3-1-1 formation. SKILL ACQUISITION: Speed and Angle of Approach, Distance of Approach, Footwork, Body Shape and Types of Tackles - Poke or Block.

Key wordsBlock the openingsWork togetherHassle and Help.

Guided questions

Who blocks the way forward?

The closest defender steps up to protect the goal

What do we need to do to work together to reduce the chances for the opponents to pass or dribble forward?

We need to get compact and stay compact

Why do we hassle the player with the ball?

We pressure the ball to prevent him/her to pass or dribble forward and to regain the ball

How do we help the pressing defender to regain the ball?

By providing cover and balance

Coach note

All Laws of the game and US Soccer Player Development Initiatives (PDI) are in effect .

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Check your setup

Five elements of a training exercise

1

Organized — Is the exercise organized in the right way?

2

Game like — Is the exercise game like?

3

Repetitions — Are there repetitions when looking at the overall goal of the session?

4

Challenging — Are the players being challenged? Is there the right balance between being successful and unsuccessful?

5

Coaching — Is there the proper coaching based on the age and level of the players?

After the session

Self-reflection

How did you achieve your goals of the training session?

What did you do well?

What could you do better?