Best Soccer Defense Drills and The US High School Soccer Show

 

By Damilare Ilyiade

 

---

A team’s defense that is too susceptible to the opposition’s attack is most likely to concede lots of goals and lose matches even if they have got the best forwards in the league.

This is why teams need to make use of efficient soccer defense drills if they want to stand the chance of having one of the strongest backlines in the beautiful game.

 

Aside from that mentioned above, soccer teams that are highly knowledgeable in soccer defense drill tactics and techniques of playing defense during a match are more likely to have the ball and be able to create chances.

 

What are the Fundamentals of Coaching Defense?

 

Apart from the fact that pressure, cover, and balance make a defense keep good shape, those attributes are the foundations when creating soccer defensive drills. 

 

How do these Three Factors Differ from Each other? 

 

The closest defender to the ball in a soccer match have always been taught to apply pressure to the ball. This could force the attacker into a mistake or the dispossession of the ball from the attacking player’s end. Both the pace of the press and the direction are factors that can influence whether the defender wins the ball or not.

 

Balance is the ability of a team to position itself in an excellent defensive posture to prevent the switching of the ball to off-balance the defense.

 

Cover as a defensive positioning gives instant support to the pressuring players by positioning themselves near the pressure.

 

In this section, you will learn top-notch defensive soccer drills that will help you make your players work as a unit at the back without leaving out interesting ways they can help their defenders react in different defensive situations. 

 

 

Teaching 1st Defender without Opposition

Objective

The objective of this drill is to let young defenders understand the necessary things they need to do when they are the closest to an opponent with the ball. 

 

Set-Up

A fully-sized goal is needed for this drill. The next thing you need do is to separate the team into two groups of defenders to start on both sides of the goal and also make sure that two attacking players with the ball are positioned outside the penalty area on both sides of the attacking final-third of the field. 

 

Execution

The first defender on both sides of the goal progress forward to close down their respective attacker once the coach gives a command. 

Their focus should be on a fast-controlled approach.

The defenders should also be instructed to position their bodies between the ball and the middle of the goal.

All of this is needed to help the players work on the speed of the approach, body posture, and positioning. 

4-5 times of this drill should be enough for each of the players or you can also make them continue trying it out until they are comfortable with approaching the attacker.

 

Coaching Tips

Ensure that the body positioning of the defenders is between the goal and the ball. This drill is aimed at helping close down space quickly at a fast-controlled approach. 

 

 

Defensive Speed Course

Objective

This fitness training-related drill is centered around improving defensive speed and quickness in front of the goal. 

 

Set-Up

Make sure the defensive players are lined up at the right corner of the 18-yard box and set up six to eight 6ft training hurdles with 2-yards equidistant apart from each other. The next thing to do is to mark off 5-yards and place a training stick there. Having done that, mark off another 5 yards from the last training stick and set a second training stick at a 45-degree angle away from the goal. Finally, put the last training stick about 5 yards directly towards the sideline from the last.

 

Execution

The responsibility of the coach is to tell the players to quickly double step over each training hurdle and ensure that each of their feet is placed in between each hurdle.

The players are to sprint to the first training stick as soon as they have exited the last training hurdle. 

Around the first training stick, every player must follow a quick 45-degree cut and move towards the second training stick. Note that this should also be repeated when heading towards the last training stick too.

Upon reaching the third (last training stick), the players are to make a 

90 degree cut and sprint towards the top of the 6-yard box.

 

Coaching Tips

This drill enhances fast feet, sharp turns, and also tests defensive players’ speed and quickness. 

 

1v1 Defending the Dribble

Objective

1v1 defending the dribble is designed to help isolate the defender to concentrate on the first defender and defending the dribble. 

 

Set-Up

You are to create a 10X10 grid with a cone put at each side of the grid 10yards apart and use pinnies (yellow/red) to separate the two teams equally into two groups (two players in each group). Facing the middle square, ensure each of the teams is line-up on the cones opposite one another. In addition, put a defender inside the middle grid. A player starts as the defender and another team is made the attacking team depending on how you choose your pinnies. 

 

Execution

The attacking team aimed at dribbling at the defender and also dribbling through the other side of the grid by beating the middle defender.

The player plays to the first player in the line he’s facing he has successfully made it through the grid and out the other side by dribbling. 

If the defender wins the ball from the next player, or the ball is knocked out of the grid, the player that loses the ball turns to be the new defender.

On the other hand, the player that won the ball or made the ball to be kicked out of the grid passes the ball to a teammate in line who now becomes the new attacker against the new defender in the middle in an attempt to get through to the other side and pass to the next player in line.

 

Coaching Tips

It is highly recommended that defenders should always concentrate more on important things such as bent knees with weight on the balls of the feet, chest leaning over the toes, staggered stance with toes at a 45-degree angle, ability to shuffle quickly, and other related key elements when defending 1v1's in soccer. 

As the saying goes... attack is the best form of defense. This is completely true, when you win the ball, if you can keep it away from your opponent then there is nothing for you to defend. Of course, when you have the ball you want to attack and create chances. In this clip, coach Leonard Griffin explains ways to build out from the back.

Live Streams and Breaking Sports News!

The Value of Self-Defense Conditioning

 

• Author Mary Beth Santmier

If you are wondering if it is possible for someone who is not a talented athlete to be effective in self defense, you are not alone.

Lots of self-defense authorities will be quick to point out you don't have to be in good shape at all to protect yourself. The aim of taking a self-defense class is to develop techniques that will help you survive against those who are stronger than you. (Continued below....)

(...Continued.....)Nonetheless, we must not ignore the value of conditioning for self-defense. You might be able to defend yourself when you are in terrible shape, but you will be a lot safer if you are in excellent shape. A complete diligence toward self-defense includes as much conditioning work as possible.

It's been said there are two common explanations why fights are lost. There are occasions when you'll basically be overpowered despite your technique. The more you do to greatly improve your physical endurance and your pure strength, the less likely this is. Of course, without good technique, there'll always be individuals out there who can overcome you. Self-defense conditioning is just about considerably improving your odds of success.

You could be wondering then if you ought to be spending hours daily at the gym. The best value of your time is in fact to spend just a fixed, responsible amount of time on conditioning. Just 20 minutes of rigorous exercise each day will considerably increase your chances in a physical confrontation. This will provide you with extra strength in a moment of struggle. As your main concern is to guard yourself in a difficult situation, the improvements you gain through such a very simple workout could prove life saving. Don't forget this fact when you feel a bit exhausted and are not all that keen on riding the stationary bike one day.

There is another benefit to be gotten here. You might find you are very fatigued every time you work out. It's only natural that if you're this out of shape, you're winded during your self-defense exercises. That truly will ruin a lot of the fun that can be had in class. Additionally, it might cut the legs off of your ability to learn as you become so involved with trying to catch your breath, much of the class material is missed. So along with making you an even better fighter when required, conditioning will improve the quality your self-defense exercises. The better you are able to physically master your self-defense practice, the more benefits you are going to get. It means your potential to safeguard yourself will increase immeasurably.

You don't have to make physical fitness a career pursuit to become proficient in the area of self defense, but it helps to be fit. You'll find that as your fitness gets better, your self-defense class performance is going to improve. While this takes place, your feeling of security will improve.

Right here is a internet site that can assist you to gain a much greater perception of the above article. You ought to check it out Krav Maga Neenah WI. Can you also check out kickboxing tricks.

Live Streams and Breaking Sports News!

US Sports Basketball: How the point guard is basketball's quarterback

 

By Craig Haley

 

---

What has changed in the NCAA Basketball Tournaments that the most successful teams were traditionally the ones full of veteran players. Today, many of the most talented players are freshmen instead of seniors. What hasn’t changed is the importance of having a strong point guard. No team wants to be caught without one – the so-called “quarterback” on the court, leading the flow of action on both ends.

The positions in basketball are numbered one through five, and, appropriately, a point guard is the one whom others follow. That’s the mindset a youth basketball coach wants to bring out. A skilled point guard makes everybody’s job easier because his decision making and leadership are an extension of the coach on the floor. He is adept at handling the ball, setting up teammates, scoring, directing and exploiting weaknesses in the opposition. Indeed, a Peyton Manning in gym shorts.

Development

To develop a point guard, a coach wants to instill confidence in him, always suggesting how his leadership runs both the offensive and defensive sets. Teammates will respond to how a point guard displays a relentless style in practice, so a coach who develops the mindset of his point guard is basically doing the same for his entire team.

While some athletes will lead vocally or through example, the point guard has to do both. On offense, he is the main dribbler, so the ball will be in his hands the most. It’s pivotal that he dribbles with his head up so he can see the floor in front of him and recognize the best way for his team to score a basket. He calls out the plays to signal what should be happening. It’s his job to set up his teammates through his passing, so he often leads his team in assists. But his ability to score points on jump shots and drives to the basket provides points, too, so he can draw defenders away from his offensive teammates.

Mechanics

Defensively, the point guard is the great communicator. He’s demanding intensity out of his teammates and disrupting the opposing team. His aggressive play will draw the same out of his teammates more than a coach yelling instruction from the sideline will.

Drills in practice will improve any young player. Some have the potential to bring out the best in a point guard. From the first day of practice through the playoffs, a coach must stress muscle memory and proper mechanics. He can turn a simple full-court dribbling drill into a two-way teaching tool.

If a young point guard constantly uses his or her dominant hand to dribble the ball, work on the opposite hand. Have your "quarterback" use his opposite hand to dribble from the end line to midcourt and back. Don’t stop there, either. He immediately should turn and dribble to the far end line and back. With the opposite hand! The dribbler has to keep his head up to see the entire floor. If he struggles at first, slow the action and have him dribble in place to gain a better feel for the ball while his head is up. Keep it low and by his side. As he progresses, have him do a full-court up-and-back dribble against a defender.

Defensively

The defender on the up-and-back dribble will gain as much as the dribbler. Have the dribbler go forward with a diagonal dribble. The defender has to drop-step and slide with the dribbler. Knees should be bent with balance on the toes, not the heels, and the eyes should be directed toward the belly because the ball will be on that plain. The defender’s palms should be up, and if he goes for a steal, he should tap the ball from underneath, not from above, where he often will slap the dribbler’s hand and cause a foul. The dribbler wants to pick and choose his opportunity for a steal. He’s more trying to slow the dribbler and force him into a mistake. You want your point guard to be more focused than the dribbler.

Guess what? This simple drill is working on conditioning, too. Your point guard should want to outlast all the other players on the court. He’s the quarterback, he sets the tone.

More basketball articles 

Live Streams and Breaking Sports New!

Concealed Carry: No Shots Fired in 9 of 10 Defensive Gun Uses (DGUs)

 

by Matthew Maruster 

Although defensive gun uses (DGU) happen every day, they often go unnoticed. Many people are surprised to learn that in 95% of DGUs, the victim doesn't fire a shot. Let's discuss the implications of these numbers and what it means for the everyday carrier.

How many DGUs per year —

Multiple studies (18 or so that I know of) put the number of annual defensive gun uses in the United States between 100,000 and 3.6 million. So if you throw out the highest and lowest survey numbers, the average sits at about 2 million instances where someone uses a firearm in self-defense.

No matter what number you accept, it's clear people use firearms every day to defend life.

One of the many reasons the actual number of DGUs is hard to nail down is that around 95% don't involve a single fired shot. Because of this, most go unreported to police. The media barely covers incidents where someone shoots a gun in self-defense. They certainly don't report on DGUs with no shots fired.

If you're interested in reading more about the research behind these DGU numbers, consider this 2019 book from author John Lott called “More Guns, Less Crime.”

We researched the topic of armed citizens and their effectiveness in limiting the number of people killed in mass shootings. Here is a link to what we found.

Practical Considerations for “no-shoot” DGUs —

For simplicity, I'll use the term “no-shoot” DGUs to describe a DGU where the defender doesn't shoot.

We should always have a self-defense mindset. We can prepare and anticipate, but ultimately, we react to a deadly threat.

If we bring a gun into the fight at the wrong time, not only can it be a legal problem, but it could unnecessarily escalate the situation. Let me explain.

 

Drawing the gun to deescalate –

 

Defensive skills that don't involve a firearm are important, even if you carry a gun.

Imagine an argument over a parking space, where the person yells aggressively but doesn't have the means or ability to complete any of the multiple threats he screams. So you draw your everyday carry (EDC) gun in hopes the sight of your handgun will cause him to go away.

At best, you're on very shaky legal grounds with the level of force you're using against a foul-mouthed agitator. The unarmed person isn't scared, and displaying the gun angers them more. The incident turns physical when the person shoves you.

Shooting someone who simply yells and pushes you will be tough to defend.

If you don't shoot the person, you have to defend yourself with one hand while you hold a handgun in the other. It's not an easy task.

You don't want to be the defender in either of those situations.

We know how things turned out for Michael Drejka.

Drawing the gun gets you shot –

But that isn't even the worst that could happen. In the above situation, let's say you draw your firearm, knowing you are not justified legally to use deadly force but hope it deescalates the problem. If the other person also has a gun and sees you draw a firearm, they may use deadly force against you.

The takeaway should be if you draw your firearm, it should only be when you are legally justified to use deadly force. If displaying the gun deescalates the incident, fantastic, but that shouldn't be the reason for drawing it.

Legal Considerations for “no-shoot” DGUs —

I often hear everyday carriers make some astoundingly misguided statements about defensive gun uses. Unfortunately, the comments are based on or can lead to morally and legally questionable decisions on when to press the trigger.

You better shoot –

The first mistruth is that “if you draw a gun, you better shoot because if you don't, police will charge you with brandishing.”

Let's stop and think of think about this statement for a second.

If you drew your firearm because you perceived an objectively reasonable deadly threat, but when you drew the gun, that person stopped being a deadly threat, how would shooting the gun be more legal than not shooting? In other words, under no circumstance should the justification for shooting your handgun be, “well, I drew it and didn't want to get charged for brandishing, so I shot even though the person was no longer a threat.”

How ridiculous does that sound?

Don't get sued –

Let me ask an honest question. Under what reason could it be legal or moral to kill someone to keep them from suing you? Of course, no reasonable person would find a single justification. But countless people think they should shoot someone because “dead people don't sue.” I wish I were making this up, but numerous comments on social media prove otherwise.

Sorry, this is an evil and deranged mindset. Furthermore, it's ignorant to think you're exempt from a lawsuit if someone dies. Every day, families of the dead file wrongful death lawsuits against the person who killed their family member.

Reporting a “no-shoot” DGU —

Even if the bad guy takes off, immediately report any incident where you brandished a firearm to the police.

Get to a safe location if you must, but contact the police immediately. If you're en route to a safer place, call the police while you move. Tell them you don't feel safe and want to meet an officer to report what just happened.

If possible, ask witnesses to tell police what they saw and get their contact information. If you're able to, grab license plate info to provide to the police if they want to follow up.

The police may write a crime report or just take an incident report to document the facts. Either way, you have told the police your side of the story.

In Closing —

I know that statistically, the vast majority of everyday carriers and those who read this post won't ever have to draw a firearm in self-defense; praise God for that. And an even smaller percentage will have to press a trigger in self-defense.

I don't carry a firearm because of the odds I'll have to use it. I carry a handgun because I am directed to protect my family and the most vulnerable among us. I value human life, so I believe that having the ability and means to intervene but instead sitting back to allow a depraved person to execute defenseless children is cowardly.

Why do you carry a firearm? Leave a comment.

About Matthew Maruster

I follow my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who is the eternal co-equal Son of God. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio with my wife and daughter. I served in the Marine Corps Infantry. I was a Staff Sergeant and served as a Platoon Sergeant during combat in Iraq. After I was a police officer at a municipal agency in San Diego County. I was a lead marksmanship instructor in the Marine Corps, and an assistant range master, and crisis negotiator at the police department. I have a Bachelors's Degree in Criminal Justice from National University. I produce the Concealed Carry Podcast and coordinate the Concealed Carry Instructor Network, and manage MJ Maruster Defense.

View all posts by Matthew Maruster →

Live Streams and Breaking Sports News!

Healthy for Life with Exercise

 

• Author Adrianus Joele

If people would realize how many health benefits exercise can offer, there would be no hesitation in getting started with some form of exercise.

Especially older folks are harder to get motivated, because they think the exercise will cause an injury. At the contrary, exercise will keep there overall fitness level and muscle strength in optimal form. It's a matter of choosing the right form of exercise.

Swimming, walking and gardening are very suitable for older people. Swimming has the advantage that their body weight will be partly supported by the water, which makes it possible to exercise without risking any bodily harm.

Walking is the best exercise you can have, because it's natural. Good long brisk walks give a lot of benefits- the whole body begins to respond. You breath properly, your circulation and heart benefits, and it's good for the mind and positive thinking.

It's only in recent years that fitness gurus have recognized the supremacy of brisk walking. In contrary to jogging, brisk walking provides a lot of benefits without any problems. Walking is almost as important as the right food. You need to eat properly and exercise properly, the two together gives you the best results. The internal organs of the body need tone and for this most of them depend almost entirely on physical activity.

Exercise produces big results whether we’re 40, 60 or 80. According to the Human Physiology Laboratory at Tufts University Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, we respond well to exercise at any age. Muscles grow, bones strengthen, and metabolism increases. Our body fat decreases while blood sugar and balance improve. I proved this to myself when I taught strength training at a retirement residence. With modest effort, exercisers in their 80s grew stronger and more vital. We were all delighted. Reduced muscle strength is associated with age-related disability. The most common cause of muscle weakness is inactivity. After three months of high-intensity muscle training, healthy men over 60 experienced gains similar to those reported for younger men training with similar intensity and duration. People who were stronger remained more independent and less burdened by advancing years. Any type of exercise helps, but combining aerobics, strength, and flexibility works best. For most people, aerobic exercise is an easy place to begin.

As we breathe deeply, the diafragm – which separates the chest from the abdomen – rises and falls repeatedly, massaging all the internal organs, particularly the stomach, small intestine, bowel, lungs and liver. The stretching and relaxing of the intestines is vital in preventing that widespread form of 'self poisoning' : constipation. Exercise does keep you regular!

In the mid-eighties, a vital clue to the right exercise for lifelong health was uncovered by brilliant research in biochemistry. Biochemists established that all cell replication in the immune system and therefore all immune strength is dependent on availability of the amino acid glutamine. Your immune system uses a ton of it. But immune cells cannot make glutamine. Only muscle cells can do the job. So your muscles have to supply large amounts of glutamine to your immune system every day in order to maintain it. That's it! The mitochondria of muscle are the furnaces in which most of your body fat and sugar are burned for fuel. Muscle is what stresses your skeleton to maintain your bones. We also know that muscle is the vital link which also maintain your immunity and hence your resistance to all diseases. Muscle is the health engine. Which so much overwhelming evidence that muscular exercise is essential to health, what are we doing about it? A big fat zero.

Muscle is the health engine. It's a proven fact that the right exercise not only maintains your heart, your lungs, your muscles, your bones, a healthy level of body fat and even your intestinal function, but also some more subtle functions, like insulin and your body's dealing with sugar. It has been known for more than fifty years that lack of exercise leads to glucose intolerance.

However, not long ago research has shown that getting of the couch and start moving, not only maintain insulin function to deal with the sugar, but it also can reverse decades of damage. Insulin dependent diabetics, for example, using the right exercise program, can increase insulin efficiency so much that some patients, who have used insulin daily for years, no longer need it. In healthy people, the right exercise completely protects glucose tolerance against the degenerative changes in insulin metabolism that lead to adult-onset diabetes. Healthy old men who maintain a lifelong exercise program, have the same healthy insulin efficiency as young men. A high sugar diet, which progressively destroys insulin metabolism, makes it virtually mandatory to exercise if you want to avoid glucose intolerance as you grow older.

Most physicians believe that hardening of the arteries, a degenerative process, is inevitable. Dr. Lakatta at the National Institute on Aging Research Center in Baltimore, is showing in ongoing experiments, that regular exercise maintains arterial elasticity and even reverses arterial hardening that has already occurred. I could fill many pages citing numerous bodily functions which are maintained by regular exercise. But I will keep it short.

Research recently undertaken has revealed the major way in which exercise protect you against all diseases. It started with the evidence that exercise increases the overall number of white blood cells. Followed by more precise findings that moderate exercise increases bodily production of lymphocytes, interleukin 2, neutrophils and other disease fighting components of the immune system. There is no doubt that the right exercise strengthens your immunity. And it also strengthens your resistance to all forms of damage, decay, bacteria, viruses, toxins and even radiation. Closing with the wise words of Louis Pasteur, the father of modern medicine: "Host resistance is the key."

Here is the link for an exercise program that teach you aerobics, weight lifting, flexibility and nutrition for athletes: www.exerciseprogram.net

Adrian Joele became interested in nutrition and weight management while he was an associate with a nutritional supplement company. Since 2008 he wrote several articles about nutrition and weight loss and achieved expert status with Ezine Articles.com. He has been involved in nutrition and weight management for more than 12 years and he likes to share his knowledge with anyone who could benefit from it.

Get his free report on nutrition and tips for healthy living, by visiting: http://www.nutrobalance2.net

Live Streams and Breaking Sports News!