Soccer Defense

In soccer, a good defender is someone who can outthink the opponent, win the ball, and combine physical and mental skills with courage and determination. In the mini e-book Soccer Defense: Winning the Ball, coaches and players will find detailed descriptions, full-color photos, and diagrammed drills for developing the skills of first and second defenders. First defenders will learn how to close down on an attacker and jockey, win the ball by good positioning and interception, stop the attacker from turning with the ball, force the attacker one way, and recover when beaten. Second defenders will learn to cover and support the first defender by not moving too soon or too late and to set the offside trap. This mini e-book also covers the three basic tackles: block tackle, side block tackle, and sliding tackle. The photos show correct and incorrect positioning for each tackle, and the diagrammed drills for each tackle include equipment, organization, instructions, and coaching points and progressions. The defensive drills in Soccer Defense: Winning the Ball cover all levels of the game so that beginning, intermediate, and advanced players can all learn to take their defensive skills to the highest level. The mini e-book Soccer Defense: Winning the Ball is an abridged version of the comprehensive book Skills & Strategies for Coaching Soccer, Second Edition (Human Kinetics, 2010).