Shifting, cover and zonal defending.
17 drills
17 drills
Classic form of the Dutch (KNVB) 4v4 method: in 25x20 m you score by dribbling the ball under control and stopping it anywhere on the opposition end line, which forces the defence to protect the full width of the pitch.
2v2 game in a 20x20 m square with mini goals where the defending pair learns the roles of first defender (pressure) and second defender (cover), and how to swap them with every pass.
Complete organisation of zonal defending at corners: two players on the posts, three headers along the six-yard line, three in a second line, one player disrupting the taker and one or two ready for the counter-attack.
In 27x18 m, two full-size goals side by side at one end and four cones at the other: the coach serves four attackers who must solve a 4v3 while three defenders protect both goals at once.
Four teams of four and two keepers in a 33x33 m area: 4v4 inside the box, four attackers crossing from outside and four target players the defence must find after clearing.
7v7 match in 45x27 m with two 9 m end zones: goals can only be scored by entering the opposition end zone after a pass, and the edge of the zone acts as the offside line for the defence.
Two numbered teams wait on the touchlines of an 18x14 m pitch with mini goals; the coach rolls a ball in and calls one or more numbers: the players called sprint on and play a 1v1, 2v2 or 3v3.
Themed 3v3 game in 25x20 m with four 2x2 m squares in the corners: score by dribbling the ball into one of the two opposition zones, no offside and unlimited touches.
Continuous 2v2 game in 20x10 m where one defender must touch the opposition goal before defending: his partner faces a temporary 2v1 and learns to delay until help arrives.
A back four plus two strikers defend the big goal against a 4-1-2 circulating the ball; the pitch is split into two vertical halves and the defence must shift as a block until all four are in the half where the ball is.
Three defenders protect a 3 m goal against two attackers in 30x20 m. Work on the defensive triangle: pressure on the ball, angled cover and a third man giving depth; the defenders counter into two corner goals.
Narrow 8v8 game on 45x25 yards split into thirds, both teams in a 1-2-4-1: the four midfielders may push up to overload the final third but cannot drop back to defend their own, so every regain produces a counter-attack with an advantage and some emergency defending.
The full team, unopposed, organises its 4-4-2 block against balls placed in different zones of the pitch (with blue players as references): on the call, everyone shifts, squeezes and takes up the correct pressing position keeping 25 m between the lines.
7v7 possession on a 30x25 m grid split in two halves: the out-of-possession team may only press in its own half and must hold a compact block until a trigger appears (back-pass, loose first touch or a pass to a player within 2 m of the boundary) to hunt across the whole grid.
Three attackers against two defenders between two goals with keepers: if they score they get another ball and attack the opposite goal; if not, the two defenders plus a team-mate become the attackers. No pauses between changes.
4v4 to 8v8 game with two mini goals at each end. The keeper stands between his team's two goals but cannot defend either: he only organises with his voice and can receive back passes.
1v1 duels in 15x8 m channels with two mini goals: the defender passes to the attacker and closes down immediately, steering them towards the side to win the ball. Individual defending technique.