Tackling
Defend The Gate: Target Zone Bonus
Defend in a live game
Tackling
Defending
Small-Sided Games
Defend The Gate: Target Zone Bonus is a 15-minute tackling drill for 6-16 players, suitable for Under 10 to Adults at beginner, intermediate, advanced level. You need balls, cones, bibs. Below you will find the objective, the set-up, how to run it, coaching points, common mistakes, progressions, regressions and variations.
Back to drill libraryTackling
Defending
Small-Sided Games
Small-Sided Game
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Full Squad
Minimal Equipment
Youth Friendly
Adult Suitable
Playing Through The Thirds
Positioning
Combination Play
Duration
15 min
Players
6-16
Pitch size
30 x 20 yards
Ability levels
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Pitch diagram
Defend The Gate: Target Zone Bonus — 2 gates — score by travelling through · 30 x 20 yards
Step 1 of 4Teams score by dribbling through a gate.
- 1. Teams score by dribbling through a gate.
- 2. Defending team scores a point for every clean tackle.
- 3. Four minute games.
- 4. Extra points for playing into marked pockets between the lines before finishing.
- Cones mark the area
- Cone gates to dribble / pass through
- Ball
- Solid arrow = pass, thick = shot, dashed = run / dribble
Objectives
- -Defend in a live game
- -Apply tackling technique under pressure
- -Protect a target area as a team
Setup
- 1Two gates on each end line of a 30 x 20 pitch.
- 2Two teams in bibs.
- 3Balls stored on the sidelines.
Coaching instructions
- 1Teams score by dribbling through a gate.
- 2Defending team scores a point for every clean tackle.
- 3Four minute games.
- 4Extra points for playing into marked pockets between the lines before finishing.
Coaching points
- -Press the ball carrier as they receive
- -Cover the gate before going to ground
- -Communicate who is pressing
- -Find the pocket on the back foot of the defender
- -Support the receiver quickly on both sides
Common mistakes
- -Two players pressing the same attacker
- -Fouling instead of tackling
- -Leaving gates unguarded