Training For Soccer: Defensive Training Plan By Age

When it comes to training for soccer, one important thing that many coaches overlook is teaching the same skills to the players irrespective of their ages. This is something that can be waste of time and in spite of bringing good results, it may further reduce the performance of your team.

Therefore, it is very important for the coaches to design their training plan depending upon the age group of the team. The teaching plan must be appropriate to their ages.

Defensive Training Plan For U11

When it comes to designing a defensive training plan for U11, the coaches should focus on individual defending skills. It means, at this stage, it is not wise to teaching the players about get, turn, move, or shoot.

The coach should rather give emphasis on basic defending at restarts. However, you can give the players an introduction to team shape in defense. You can also include introduction to transition in your training plan.

Defensive Training Plan For U12-U13

At this stage, you can introduce teaching about second and third defender play. You can also teach them about shapes, such as how to get it, what techniques they need to follow to keep it, and 2what techniques and strategies they should adopt to change it quickly.

Transition basic counterattack and working with keeper can also be included in the training plan for U12-U13. Sweeper play can also be introduced at this stage, such as angles, communication, and basic visual cues.

Defensive Training Plan For U14-U15

This is the right stage when the coaches can introduce the players about the low-pressure defense with high-pressure attack and high-pressure defense with low-pressure attack. You can also teach them about how to read opponent's shape to decide when and where to go forward.

Counterattack and reading visual cues can also be included in the teaching plan at this stage. The coaches can also teach them about how to mark out dangerous player and how to recognize and adjust defending tactics to match conditions.

Likewise, there should be a different approach in training for soccer while you are teaching the players of different age groups.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of training for soccer. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.

Soccer Drills For Youth

Aggression plays an important role in soccer drills for youth. Here are some of the techniques that can help the coaches in training their team regarding aggressive drills.

Protect Drill

The protect drill method requires the player to protect the ball. This effective method can improve the drilling skills of the players largely. This method requires the players to work one on one.

The coach should have one player stand next to a ball, having his feet shoulder width apart. Now, have another player stand on the outside shoulder of the first player.

Now, the main task of the second player is to get his foot on the ball, by any means necessary. The job of the first player is to keep balance, protect the ball, and respond to open aggressiveness by a defender.

Getting Closer

The coaches can try this method with the same setup, as they require in the above method for protecting the ball. In this method, again, there are two players.

The only difference is that the main task of the player furthest from the ball to try to wedge his body between the inside player and the ball any way he can.

Push and Drag Drill

This method also ranks good for the coaches when it comes to teaching soccer drills for youth. In this method, the coach needs to have two players stand facing each other.

Now, instruct them to grab the other player's jersey up by the shoulders. This will put them face to face in a strong position. Here, let me add that you as a coach should stand 10 yards away from the players with a ball at your feet.

Now, as soon as you say ?GO!? blow the whistle, the task of the players to try to get the ball away from the coach. The players need to work hard on this and should show some aggression. The first to reach the ball wins.

What is more, in this method for soccer drills for youth, if the players are not showing aggression in their effort, you should begin to dribble away from the fighting players, forcing them to follow you in their tussling position.

Andre Botelho is a recognized authority on the subject of soccer drills for youth. His web site, Youth Soccer Drills, provides a wealth of informative soccer articles, resources and tips for soccer coaches, parents and players.