If we only train with the ball, what do we do about defensive training?

February 5, 2019

The question is this: In an age where having the ball and having fun is equated and touted as the only
right way to train, what do we do about defending?

I’ve said it, you’ve said it, everyone has said it: training must be fun, exciting, stimulating and it must
involve the ball as much as possible, in order to maintain a focused effort from start to finish and retain
players over time.

I stand by it. I am sincere in my belief that players have to feel that they’ve learned something or
improved at something, having invested their time and effort in training and they need to leave with a
smile on their face for them to keep coming back over time. That is most easily accomplished by having
the players have a lot of touches on the ball.

This poses a problem for many coaches: If we equate fun and development with having the ball, then
what about defending? By definition, you don’t have the ball during the teams’ defensive phases, but
surely the skills involved in defending are no less important to learn. So what do we do?

“When we have the ball, the opponents can’t score”

 Having read the paragraph above, you’d be forgiven for referring to the Cruyff quote I’ve just
paraphrased. It’s true – unless you’re extremely prone to scoring unprovoked own-goals, you’re
defensively safe if you’ve got the ball under your control. That’s all good and well, if you are at a club or
a team where you can count on being the best team, both player for player and collectively, eight out of
ten times you step onto pitch, like Barcelona. Most of the time, however, this isn’t the case. That means,
that while defending on the ball can be part of a strategy overall, you can’t entirely rely on it to keep the
opposition from scoring.

Now, you can bypass defensive training entirely. That is an option. It’s not one I’d recommend, but I do
see it from time to time. Again, this is fine for a team who is usually able to dictate the match by having
a lot of the ball, but it’s a shortsighted strategy. Eventually, teams around you will get better or you
might get promoted to play against better teams. Suddenly, you are relatively weaker than you used to
be, and you are less dominant in possession. Now you’re in trouble; your lack of attention aimed at
defensive training shows.

“Eventually, teams around you will get better or you might get promoted to play against better teams.
Suddenly, you are relatively weaker than you used to be, and you are less dominant in possession. Now
you’re in trouble; your lack of attention aimed at defensive training shows.”

 “But it’s cold… And the players don’t enjoy defensive training regardless of weather!”

 I get it. It’s a challenge! We know that the key to player retention over time is that players develop and
have fun and let’s face it – players (and many coaches) don’t believe that defensive training is fun. So
what do we do? Well, there’s a trick to a good defensive session and it doesn’t involve players tied
together with ropes in formation, moving in unison according to the placement of the ball.

Here it is, radical as it may sound: You do what you’d normally do, but you swap your usual coaching
points and stop play for defensive pointers exclusively.

Wait… Do I mean exactly as you’d normally do? Well, not quite. There are a few definite things to avoid.

 360 degrees of pressure – It’s a bad idea!

 When defending in matches, our goal is generally behind us, and we are facing the opposition goal. This
is banal but important. I see coaches using variations of a rondo or a directionless possession game to
coach defensive themes such as pressing. This will not work. Doing that runs counter to what is natural
in the game’s final state. Why? Because, in a possession game or a rondo, possession is the goal in itself.
That means, that all passes have equal value to the team in possession. And, furthermore, since the
pressing players are quite often outnumbered (sometimes severely outnumbered), they really don’t
stand a chance of learning anything that can successfully be used in matches.

In matches, when defending, there are certain passes we’d live with from the opposition and certain
passes we need to make sure aren’t a possibility. If we can avoid the opponents passing the ball
forward, at the expense of them passing it backwards, we’d take that trade almost every time. This is
what I mean: Don’t use directionless games, where all passes are created equal, to teach players to
press, individually or collectively. The drills, SSG’s or exercises need to have a natural direction – there
must be something to defend.

Remember, that a principal demand every coach will make on match days is, that if a players is bypassed
by the opponent or a pass, they must work hard to get behind the ball again. How are you going to apply
this to a 4v2 rondo (see illustration) in training? You can’t. It’s that simple!

Remember, that a principal demand every coach will make on match days is, that if a players is bypassed
by the opponent or a pass, they must work hard to get behind the ball again. How are you going to apply
this to a 4v2 rondo (see illustration) in training? You can’t. It’s that simple!
 

The trick is: Train defensively and have fun

It’s not rocket science, but often overlooked nonetheless. In every single 1v1 drill, every small or
medium sized game, every large game with two goals at either end of the pitch a player or team will
have the ball and one won’t. Whenever someone plays against someone else with one ball, somebody
will be in a defensive sate.

The key to successful defensive training is, taking the reservations from the previous section into
account, to plan a fun and challenging session as you normally would and change your coaching points
to focus on the defensive side! That way, players will enjoy themselves and still learn the principles of
defending. You’ll be better off on matchdays and you’ll have the satisfaction of being part of an exclusive
club of coaches whose players enjoy defensive sessions as much as they enjoy offensive sessions.