As soccer coaches know, teaching defensive principles is not an easy task. Watch as Coach Gentile reviews activities you can use to simplify teaching "D" to your youth soccer players.

1. Teaching Defensive Principles
Coach Dina Gentile

2. How to simplify teaching “D”
• Roles of defenders, what makes sense to
players?
• Decide on terminology and expectations.
• Use many activities over multiple practices to
get your point across.
• Repetition creates Routine. Routine is the
doorway to GOOD HABITS!

3. POSITIONING
• Players need to be in an athletic stance, on
their toes versus on the heels of their feet.
• Players need to be patient on defense as to
not over run the ball. The offensive player can
just tap the ball away if the defensive player
approaches too quickly.
• Forcing to a direction, it is almost like
sheparding herd to one spot on the field.

4. EXPECTATIONS
1 (pressure)
2 (cover)
3 (balance)
PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 PLAYER 3

5. EXPECTATIONS
We need to decide which way we want to force
the offensive player when the ball is in the
middle of the field. For younger or less skilled
players we may want to force to the sideline. For
advanced or older players, we want to force the
offense into the defensive pressure we are
creating by our shape.

6. EXPECTATIONS
Player 2 (pressure)
Player 3 (cover)
Player 1 (balance)
PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 PLAYER 3

7. EXPECTATIONS
1 (pressure)
2 (cover)
3 (balance)
PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 PLAYER 3

8. EXPECTATIONS
Player 3 (pressure)
Player 1 (cover)
Player 2 (balance)
PLAYER 1 PLAYER 2 PLAYER 3

9. REPETITION
• Always use the same terms so they get the
idea embedded in their heads.
• Ask questions. Maybe players still do not
understand what you mean by the terms you
use.
• Trust the process, teaching “D” is not easy!

10. Elevate the game
on and off the field
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