Hey there Blayze soccer fans. One of the most revered positions on the soccer field is the defender. Being able to stop an opponent from scoring ⚽a goal can be just as thrilling as scoring them.
But budding defender stars need to know that being fearless is more than physical prowess. It takes mental strength, 🧠strategic understanding, and a lot of practice.
This week, Blayze soccer coach Zoe Morse will share tips to help you become as fearless as possible for your soccer team.
Build Physical Strength and Agility💪
Fitness First: Regular cardiovascular exercises like running will help improve your stamina. But other activities like cycling or swimming can help as well.
Strength Training: Leg🦵 strength is very important, but also work on improving your core and upper body strength. Activities like lunges, squats, and plank exercises should be your top added workout exercises.
Agility Ladders:🪜 Improving your footwork skills helps you dominate your opponent. It will make it easier to change direction swiftly and keep up with fast attackers.
Develop Your Anticipation Skills
Watch and Learn: 👁️Watch soccer matches regularly, especially the professionals. Pay attention to the pro defenders and notice how they anticipate the opponent’s moves.
Predict the Play: 🧠Always think a step ahead. Ask yourself: “Where might the attacker pass next?” or “Where might the attacker try to move next?” This foresight can help you intercept or block effectively.
Learn Positioning
Stay Goal Side: Position yourself between the attacker and the goal.🥅
Use the Offside Trap: Use offside to your advantage. Work with your fellow defenders to maintain a straight line, forcing the opposition attackers into offside positions.🧑🏾🤝🧑
Mental Toughness and Confidence😀
Practice Makes Perfect: The more you practice, the more confident you will grow. Regularly work on your one-on-one drills to improve your tackling skills.
Stay Calm Under Pressure: Soccer can be intense, but a great defender remains calm and composed. Deep breathing exercises can help manage in-game stress.
Effective Communication
Speak Up: 🔊Constantly communicate with your team. Let them know about approaching attackers, or when to move up or fall back.
Develop Signals: Sometimes you don’t want an opponent to know what you want your teammate to do. Or the game is so loud it can be hard to hear. Having things like hand🖐️ signals to communicate strategies without shouting can help communication amidst the chaos.
Tackle Smartly
Only slide for a tackle when it is necessary, but do it carefully! Always aim for the ball⚽ and not the player. You can also use your body to help throw an attacker off balance, but again, play the ball, not the player.
Learn from Mistakes
All defenders, even the professionals, have moments where they make errors. They get run past, they play the wrong team, a bad deflection leads to an own goal. It happens to everyone. Instead of dwelling on it, analyze what went wrong and how you can change it in the future.
Remember: The best offense is a great defense. Use your mind and play smart. Stay strong and keep defending!
Do you have a question that you want answered? Reply to this email with your question and you might see it answered in our next newsletter!
Article of the Week: 4 Tactics to Defend While Attacking in Soccer
Zoe Morse provides four tactics to follow to best defend while attacking. Specifically, ways to improve your soccer skills by keeping both defending and attacking in the back of your mind while playing.