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Home/Training Drills/Defensive Drills/Defending: Don't Let Him Turn
DefensiveIntermediate

Defending: Don't Let Him Turn

Stop a forward turning. Travel with the striker as he checks in, arrive under control, get tight and side-on between him and the goal, and force him to play backwards instead of forwards.

Create your own drill
Live animationDEF
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
3
Recommended
Pitch
26 × 18 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format

Setup & instructions

A server plays into a striker who checks in with his back to goal, with a defender marking. The defender travels with the striker, slows down as he arrives, and gets tight and side-on to deny the turn. The striker tries to roll him both ways; if he cannot turn, he plays back to the server. Rotate all three roles and vary how early the striker checks in.

Setup time: 1 min

Tactical breakdown

Forcing a forward to play backwards is a win that looks like nothing happened. No tackle, no interception, no clearance, just a ball going back the way it came. It is one of the most valuable individual defensive acts in football, it is almost never praised, and those two facts are related.

The work happens before the ball arrives. A defender who waits to see where the striker checks to is flat-footed by the time he gets there, so the instruction is to travel with him as he comes short. That means moving on the striker's movement rather than on the pass, which feels far too early and is not.

Arriving is the technical part. Slow down two yards out, get side-on with the goal behind you, and be close enough to feel him. Square-on means he can spin either way and you are guessing. Side-on means you can move in both directions without turning your hips first, and turning your hips is exactly the half second a good forward is playing for.

Now the honest trade-off, because it is where this drill earns its place. Getting tight enough to prevent the turn is also getting tight enough to be spun. A forward with a decent first touch will invite the contact and roll around a defender who has committed his weight forward. Tight is not the same as leaning, and a defender resting his hands and chest on the striker is already off balance.

Against a forward who genuinely cannot be stopped from turning, dropping off and showing him sideways is the better answer. Coach both, and let players choose.

How to run this drill

  1. Travel with him as he checks in. Move on the striker's movement rather than on the pass. Waiting for the ball means arriving flat-footed with him already set.
  2. Slow down two yards away. Arriving at speed into a player with his back to you is how you get spun, because your weight is already going through him.
  3. Get side-on and goal-side. Square-on means he can spin either way and you guess. Side-on lets you move both directions without first turning your hips.
  4. Be tight without leaning on him. Resting your hands and chest on a forward puts your weight forward, which is precisely what a good one invites before rolling you.
  5. Force the ball backwards and say so. It looks like nothing happened, so name it out loud. Unpraised defensive wins stop being repeated within about two sessions.
  6. Drop off against a forward you cannot hold. If he turns you anyway, showing him sideways from a yard deeper is the better answer. Coach both and let the player choose.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Travel with him as he checks in, do not get caught flat-footed
  • Slow down a couple of yards away, arrive under control
  • Side-on body shape, goal-side, so you can move either way
  • Tight enough that he feels you, not so tight he can spin off you
  • Be patient: you do not have to win it, just stop the turn

Common mistakes

  • Overrunning the striker so he spins off the shoulder
  • Standing square, unable to move either way
  • Diving in and giving away the foul or the turn
  • Ball watching and losing contact with the striker's movement

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Let the striker play a one-two with the server to try to spin
  • Add a second attacker so the defender must deny the turn and the pass
  • Defender must win the ball, not just block the turn

Regressions

  • Striker receives at half pace so the defender can set his shape
  • Defender starts already tight and goal-side
  • Striker limited to two touches before playing back
Equipment
Cones×2
Full Goals×1
Tactical principles
don't let him turndefending a forwardstopping the turnside-on body shapedefending with your back to goalmarking a strikerindividual defending drillgetting tightu12 defending drillforcing play backwards
Audience
U11-U12

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