The following posts have been tagged with "soccer zone defense"...
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“).
Soccer Flat Back
Refers to Flat Back 3 or Flat Back 4, which are types of “Zone Defenses”. See “Flat Soccer Defense” and “Soccer Zone Defense“.
Soccer Flat Defense
(aka “Square Defense”). A soccer defense that is straight across the field, parallel to the end line. A flat soccer defense has no “depth” & is vulnerable to “through balls”, but can “offside trap”. (See “Soccer Depth“, “Soccer Support“, “Soccer Through Balls“, “Soccer Zone Defense” & “Soccer Offside Trap“).
Soccer Depth
Depth on defense means having several defenders (ideally, multiple layers of defenders) spaced between the ball & the goal who are in a soccer position to “recover” in time to stop an attack on their goal. This and First Defender/Second Defender are the most important defensive concepts. Depth is the opposite of a “flat” defense. Depth in attack means having support to the rear so the ball can be passed back or “dropped”. (See “Soccer Support“, “Soccer Through Balls“, “Soccer Defending Deep“, “Soccer Zone Defense“, “Soccer Flat Defense” & “Soccer Cover“).
Soccer Defense
See “Soccer Shift & Sag”, “Soccer Support”, “Soccer Zone Defense”, “Soccer Formations“, “Soccer Depth“, “Soccer Cover“, “Soccer Mark“, “Soccer Pressure”, “Soccer Defending Deep“, “Width In Defense”, “Shape”, “Support Distance & Relative Position”, “Defending Third“, “Win The Ball”, “Ball Watching“, “Breakaway“, “Clear“, “Danger Zone“, “Soccer Dangerous Attackers“, “Soccer Goalkeeper“, “Verbal Soccer Signals“, “Where…From” and Soccer Defensive Tips at SoccerHelp Premium.
Soccer Breakaway
A soccer fast break where one or more attackers get behind the defenders so that only the other team’s goalkeeper is between them & the goal. Soccer Breakaway’s often happen because a defense is “pushed up” & “flat” (i.e., has no “depth”), which makes it vulnerable to “through balls”. The “Sweepers” job (if you use a Sweeper) is to stop breakaways by kicking the ball out of bounds. In recreational soccer, a good strategy for stopping the other soccer team’s fast break is to teach your FB’s to kick the ball out of bounds. This will give your FB’s & MF’s time to “sag” back to defend their goal. A “sagging” defense with “depth” prevents breakaways by having multiple layers of defenders in position to slow down the attack. On 1 vs. 1 breakaways, the defending goalkeeper should come out of the goal toward the ball in order to reduce the shooting angle. He should do this when the soccer shooter gets within shooting range & once he starts he must run quickly toward the shooter & cannot stop or turn back; if he does, the shooter will probably score. (See ““, “Formations” (3-2-2-3), “Push Up“, “Styles of Play – Soccer“, “Through Soccer Ball“, “Sweeper“, “Last Soccer Defender“, “Soccer Zone Defense” & “Soccer Goalkeeper“).