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U12 9V9 DEFENDING

Week 8 · Session goal

Improve preventing the opponent from building up and creating scoring chances in our half - 2

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MomentDEFENDING
Duration60 minutes
Players16
Format9V9

Player actions

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

Key qualities

Read the game, Be pro-active , Focus

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

Prevent the opponents from passing or dribbling the ball forward.

Player actions

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

Organization

In our own half set up two or more 22Wx35L fields with a small goal at each end. Play 1v1, 2v1, 2v2 up to 4v4. Play for 20 minutes with two 1.5 minute breaks. Play with kick - ins or 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 wordsClose the openingsClosest defenderHelp.

Guided questions

How can we close any opening to pass the ball forward?

Make it compact and stay compact

What should the closest defender to the ball do?

Protect the goal by getting in front of the ball and pressure the attacker

Where should the other defender be to help the pressing defender

They should be behind providing cover and balance

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

6v5 to regular goals

20 min3 intervals · 5 min play · 1.5 min rest

Objective

Prevent the opponents from passing or dribbling the ball forward.

Player actions

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

Organization

In the defending half of a 9v9 field, set up a 50Wx48L field with two regular goals as shown. The 6 Blue players:1 GK, 3 defenders and two 2 midfielders will try to prevent the ball from moving forward and regain it and score in the goal. The 5 Red players: 1 GK, 1 midfielder, 2 wingers and 1 striker will try to score the blue's goal. All Laws of the game in effect. When a team scores the other team will get 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 wordsIn frontClose the openingsClosest defenderHelp.

Guided questions

Why do we need to put a defender in front of the ball?

To protect the goal

What should we do to close the openings?

We should make it compact and keep it compact

Where should the closest defender go now that we are compacted?

To pr essure the ball

What do the other defenders do to help?

They provide cover and balance

Coach note

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

3

Less challenging

4v3 to small goals

20 min4 intervals · 4 min play · 1 min rest

Objective

Prevent the opponents from passing or dribbling the ball forward.

Player actions

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

Organization

In our half set up two 22Wx35L fields with a goal and an end zone gate. Play 4v4. The Blue team: 4 players against the Red Team: 3 players. Both teams score in the opponent's goal. 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 wordsClose the openingsClosest defenderHelp.

Guided questions

How can we close any opening to pass the ball forward?

Make it compact and stay compact

What should the closest defender to the ball do?

Protect the goal by getting in front of the ball and pressure the attacker

Where should the other defenders be to help the pressing defender

They should be behind providing cover and balance

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? 3. What could you do better? MORE CHLLENGING: 6v6 to regular goals DURATION: 20 min -- INTERVALS: 3 --ACTIVITY: 5 min --REST: 1.5 min

4

Play phase

The Game - 8V8

20 min2 intervals · 8 min play · 2 min rest

Objective

Prevent the opponent's from passing or dribbling the ball forward.

Player actions

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

Organization

In a 9v9 field (50wx80L) play 8v8. The Blue team will play in 1-3-2-2 formation and the red team will play in 1-2-3-2 formation. SKILL ACQUISITION: Speed and Angle of Approach, Distance of Approach, Footwork, Body Shape and Types of Tackles - Poke or Block.

Key wordsClose the openingsClosest defenderHelp.

Guided questions

What must we do to close any opening to prevent a forward pass?

We Make it compact and stay compact

What are the two main jobs of the closest defender to the ball?

To protect the goal and pressure the attacker with the ball

What do the other defenders do to help the pressing defender?

Get behind and around the pressing defender and provide 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?