Football Association of Ireland

Defending

1 v 1 Shielding and Turning with Transition to Defend

A functional practice designed to improve players 1 v 1 ability in movement, shielding, turning and dribbling with transition to defend.

Key objectives

Quick awareness and movement
When shielding can player take the ball on foot furthest away from defender while having a side on position, can the player keep the defender at arm’s length
Can player change direction (turning) with the ball under pressure
If defender is very tight can Attacker turn off their first touch
Quick acceleration while dribbling after turning defender
If ball is lost quick transition to defend

Organisation

Area 20 x 15 metres
1 Blue v 1 Yellow with Coach acting as server
Both players start inside the area with the Blue player looking to create movement to receive the ball from the Coach
On receiving the ball, the Blue player must shield the ball from the Yellow player before attempting to turn and dribbling through either of two small goals as seen in the diagram above
If the Yellow player wins the ball, he/she must pass through either of two small goals at the opposite end

Session details

Defending

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Session plan

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