Defending
Combination Recovery Run Defending
Recover goal-side at speed
Defending
Transition
Speed & Agility
Combination Recovery Run Defending is a 15-minute defending drill for 4-16 players, suitable for Under 10 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, full goals. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryDefending
Transition
Speed & Agility
Skill Practice
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Goals Needed
Combination Play
Duration
15 min
Players
4-16
Pitch size
44 x 32 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Combination Recovery Run Defending — Finishing set-up — serve, receive, shoot · 44 x 32 yards
Step 1 of 5Attacker starts five yards ahead and runs at goal.
- 1. Attacker starts five yards ahead and runs at goal.
- 2. Defender recovers, gets goal-side and forces the attacker wide.
- 3. The rep ends with a shot, a tackle or the ball out of play.
- 4. The first pass must go into the bounce player before the practice opens up.
- 5. A sequence only scores when three different players have touched the ball.
- Cones mark the area
- Full goal
- GK = goalkeeper
- S = server
- Ball
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Shooter becomes the next server
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Recover goal-side at speed
- -Defend while running towards your own goal
- -Decide between tackling and shepherding
Setup
- 1A long approach to goal with a defender start cone behind the attacker in a 44 x 32 yards area.
- 2Add a neutral bounce player on each side line inside a marked yard-wide channel.
- 3Balls with the attackers, keeper in goal.
Coaching instructions
- 1Attacker starts five yards ahead and runs at goal.
- 2Defender recovers, gets goal-side and forces the attacker wide.
- 3The rep ends with a shot, a tackle or the ball out of play.
- 4The first pass must go into the bounce player before the practice opens up.
- 5A sequence only scores when three different players have touched the ball.
Coaching points
- -Recover on the inside line, not directly behind
- -Get goal-side before engaging
- -Force away from the middle
- -Third player movement — the pass is set up by the run before it
Common mistakes
- -Tackling from behind
- -Running alongside instead of ahead
- -Two players combining over and over while the third stands still
Where this drill fits
- More football defending drills
- More football transition drills
- More football speed & agility drills
- football drills for U10s
- football drills for U12s
- football drills for U14s
- football drills for U16s
- Football session plans built around this theme