Tempo Defensive Heading Clear

Pitch diagram

Objectives

• -Clear the ball with height, distance and width
• -Attack the ball rather than waiting for it
• -Follow age-appropriate heading guidance on volume

Setup

1. 1A defensive zone in front of goal with a serving cone 12 yards away in a 28 x 22 yards area.
2. 2Set a visible timer or have an assistant count aloud from the side of the area.
3. 3Soft, correctly inflated balls only — keep total headers low.

Coaching instructions

1. 1Server throws the ball into the zone for the defender to clear.
2. 2The defender heads for height and distance towards a wide target cone.
3. 3Limit each player to a small number of headers per session.
4. 4The clock starts the moment the first pass is played in.
5. 5The sequence must reach the end action inside eight seconds or the rep is void.

Common mistakes

• -Backing away from the ball
• -Too many repetitions in one session
• -Slow, sideways passing that burns the clock