Defending the Long Ball

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Route one football - It's not big and it's not clever but do your team know how to defend against this long-ball style of attack?

To help your players avoid being caught out and conceding due to the ball over the top this session is designed to get your players defending as a well-oiled unit, recognising when to press and when to drop off! If your team communicates well and moves as a unit they can ensure they're in a good position to clear the long ball and catch the opposition offside!

What's in the Session?

To start things off we begin this simple to set-up session with a defensive slide exercise. This warms your players up while also getting them used to moving side to side. After this we get to work on your defence as we look to develop a 6 man defending unit (4 defenders and 2 central midfielders), that anticipates where the ball is going and moves in unison to neutralise the attacking threat.

Don't let route one football be the downfall of your defence - teach your players to read the signs, anticipate and move to defeat this direct style of play!