I was as of late inquired, “Mentor Hardy, for what reason are you training youth soccer groups
to play a level back four zone guard?” The discernment being that a sweeper/
plug framework is a ‘more secure’ safeguard for more youthful groups. As a matter of some importance, any protection
will have its assets and shortcomings. An educated mentor will know those
shortcomings and will urge their group to separate it. All disclaimers
aside, the level back four is the favored arrangement of most current groups. A
youth soccer mentor ought to stress the improvement of players inside the
setting of current soccer.
At the point when appropriately executed, a level back four will give superb
guarded strain, cover and equilibrium. Lentor Modern Price Youthful soccer players ought to be
created to play at their most noteworthy possible level and virtually all more elevated level
groups play a level four or three framework. Instructing a level back four protection gives
players an establishment for future progress in soccer. Indeed, even a group as youthful as U11
group can effectively play a level back four zone guard. A group might surrender
‘split away’ objectives temporarily, while they get familiar with the framework, yet all at once in the
long run they will can certainly step into a cutting edge guarded
framework.
A group can effectively play a level back four after only a couple of preparing
meetings and a modest bunch of games. I utilize the pre-season rehearses, competitions
what’s more, scrimmages as a period for a group to become familiar with the player jobs and group shape
of a level back four zone protection.
To assist players with outwardly understanding the group state of the safeguard I
call it the ‘Swoosh’ protection. As the back four protectors shift left and right
across the field, the state of the protection unit seems to be the Nike “Swoosh”
logo. Assuming that the players float flabby I can simply say “Swoosh” and right away
the players know where to situate themselves. As the players feel great
with the framework they will remind each other to “Swoosh”. The following are four fundamental
thoughts to know about while training the Swoosh safeguard.
1. Swoosh Defense
The back four guarded shape will keep the other group from having
‘split away possibilities’ by ensuring the far-side external protector and the
far-side focal safeguard shift and cover askew behind the forcing
close side protectors. It sounds muddled yet it’s basic. The
safeguards shift slantingly to the place of the ball.
With this right situating the ‘Swoosh’ protection is denying ball
infiltration, the perilous going after players are stamped and the covering
safeguards will ‘clear’ any ball that gets played through. On the off chance that the ball is exchanged
to the most distant side of the field, the protecting four players will move the ‘Swoosh’
likewise. I have found that youthful players can without much of a stretch recall to ‘Swoosh!’
more that ‘Strain, Cover, Balance’.
Players must recall that the corner to corner cover shape
is the reason the group needn’t bother with a sweeper. The most widely recognized protective mix-up
is for the group to stand absolutely ‘level’. This is particularly normal at the half-field
line when the group with the ball has been keeping up with ownership in the
rival’s half of the field. Which makes sense of why groups that are learning the
Swoosh guard will for the most part surrender their objectives from half-field breakaways.
On the off potential for success that the protectors have level at half field, any ball played behind the
protection will bring about a breakaway race without anybody to stop an objective however the
goalkeeper.
2. Denoting A Man In Your Zone
Notwithstanding the Swoosh shape, the four protectors need to turn into
mindful of the going after player in their space of liability. Youthful players
frequently center all of their consideration around the ball. This persistent vice is called ‘ball
watching’. Youthful players will frequently ball watch until the ball approaches them
furthermore, really at that time will they attempt and get it. Yet, getting the ball is just essential for the gig
of shielding. The Swoosh safeguard expects that players be in a decent protective
position while denoting the adversary ‘objective side and ball-side’.
At the point when safeguards ‘ball-watch’, rivals will move into plain
positions. The essential rule for protectors is to check the most hazardous player in
your zone and remain ball-side and objective side of them.
The break-aways against the Swoosh protection normally happen when a
safeguard is “got level ” and doesn’t respond to the open adversary in their zone
until it’s past the point of no return. On the off chance that a safeguards holds on until after the pass is played forward to
move towards the imprint in their zone then there is in many cases a foot rush to the objective.
90% of good protection is situating away from the ball.
(Note: Another explanation I utilize the “Swoosh” term is to in light of the fact that youthful players will
frequently stay “level” in the event that the protection is known as a “level back four”.)
Ball observing
is typical way of behaving for youthful soccer players, be that as it may, a protector is a
vital position and that player should be ready and mature enough to
not ball watch. Figuring out how to stamp accurately is an expertise that will accompany
obligation to learning.
3. Line Of Restraint And Compactness During Transition
The fundamental guideline of good protecting is to make ‘minimization’. I
urge the guard to make smallness when we change to offense or
at the point when the rival passes the ball in reverse. We do this on the grounds that (a)
compacting the space that the other group needs to work with makes pressure
also (b) we can get them off-sides. I don’t energize a refined off-
sides trap underneath U14, however climbing the field to make minimization will get
uninformed advances off-sides.
Assuming we are delayed in our own change to offense (for instance, after we
just cleaned the ball off of the guarded third) and our safeguards simply stay profound
in our own half then we are giving the other group heaps of space to move the ball
back towards our objective. The overall guideline I mentor is assuming the ball goes up the field 5
yards then we move the safeguard up 5 yards – 20 yards up the field implies we
move 20 yards up the field. This is valid until we cross half field. At half field,
the back four stage a couple of yards into the rivals half of the field.
On the off chance that our protection stays back in our own portion of the field, there is less
pressure and with less strain the other group will spend the game in our half.
I accept it is a superior plan to attempt to guard the half line than your objective.
The way to effectively compacting the space is that all of the
protectors should climb together. On the off chance that only one protector stays back, the
other group will take advantage of that. The line of safeguards climbing the field is called
our ‘Line of Restraint’. We want to have our ‘Line of Restraint’ something like
35 yards from our advances until our protectors arrive at the half line.
Once more, an optional reward of compacting the space during progress is
that the other group is many times off-sides on the grounds that their advances are gotten
waiting around after the ball has been cleared.
4. Off-Sides And Referees
A typical concern while playing the Swoosh guard is that officials
can commit errors with the off0sides call and the other group will have simple
break-aways. To the extent that the officials missing offsides calls, indeed, that is the
nature of the game. The key is to control the controllables. As mentors, we
have no control over the official’s choices except for we have some control over the group’s capacity to
have great situating and stamping. Moreover, in the event that a group plays great protection
what’s more, scores objectives then they won’t be in a place that will permit the ref to
decide the result of the game.
In synopsis, assuming we mentor to have safeguards minimal experiencing significant change, get
in our legitimate ‘Swoosh’ shape, and imprint their adversary objective side and ball-
side, then I am certain that the level back four zone guard can find lasting success
indeed, even with youthful groups.
Now that my ongoing U11 group is OK with the
Swoosh safeguard, we have moved onto the job of the going after outside
protector and their capacity to push ahead to join the assault.