The following posts have been tagged with "soccer mark the ball"...
Soccer Spatial Defense
(aka “Zone Defense“, “Mark the Ball” & Space Marking).
Soccer Pressure
There must be pressure on the soccer ball any time it is in scoring range or close enough to your goal that it could be centered (or crossed) to the front of the goal. Over 50% of goals scored occur when there is a lack of pressure on the soccer ball. Pressure slows down the attack & makes it much more difficult to get a clear shot on goal or to deliver a good pass into the center. You should also teach your forwards & MF’s to pressure the soccer ball to try to win it back any time it is near the other soccer team’s goal. For example, they should aggressively double-team the ballhandler to try to win the soccer ball back after a turnover near the other soccer team’s goal. This can be a great scoring opportunity if you can win the ball &, if you accidentally foul, a free kick is too far away from your goal to score. (See “Zone Defense“, “Mark The Ball” & “First Defender“).
Soccer Mark The Ball
(aka Spatial Defense or “Zone Defense”). To play the soccer ball & defend space (i.e., Zone Defense) as opposed to marking a man. This is done by creating “multiple layers of defenders” between the soccer ball & the goal (”depth”) and the closest defender to the soccer ball becomes the “First Defender”, the next closest are “Second Defenders” & other defenders “shift & sag” as the soccer ball moves. This is a more accurate term for “defending space” than the term “Zone Defense” because what you are really doing is defending the space between the soccer ball & your goal. (See “Pressure“, “Zone Defense“, “Flat Defense” & “First Defender“).
Soccer Mark
(Mark Up or Mark A Man). Means to guard a man one-on-one (”man-to-man”). A pure man-to-man defense is being abandoned today in favor of one that uses a “spatial” or “zone” defense to defend the area between the soccer ball & the goal and uses man-to-man near the goal & in cases such as corner kicks. A pure man-to-man defense doesn’t work well in youth recreational soccer because many soccer players don’t have the speed or endurance it requires. (See “Mark The Ball” & “Zone Defense“).