Defending
Finishing Recovery Run Defending
Recover goal-side at speed
Defending
Transition
Speed & Agility
Finishing Recovery Run Defending is a 17-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
Finishing
Duration
17 min
Players
4-16
Pitch size
44 x 32 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Finishing Recovery Run Defending — Goalkeeping set-up — serve, save, reset · 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. Every sequence starts with a pass out and ends with a strike on goal.
- 5. Goals score one, first-time finishes score two, and rebounds must be followed in.
- Cones mark the area
- Full goal
- GK = goalkeeper
- C = coach serving, S = second server
- Ball
- Cones mark the keeper's starting positions
- Dotted arrow = rotation between repetitions
- Keeper distributes back to the 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.
- 2Set a goal at the end of the area with a keeper or a target zone if no keeper is available.
- 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.
- 4Every sequence starts with a pass out and ends with a strike on goal.
- 5Goals score one, first-time finishes score two, and rebounds must be followed in.
Coaching points
- -Recover on the inside line, not directly behind
- -Get goal-side before engaging
- -Force away from the middle
- -Head up before the strike — pick the side, then commit
Common mistakes
- -Tackling from behind
- -Running alongside instead of ahead
- -Rushing the shot and leaning back over the ball
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