Corner Kicks: Defense

Defending corner kicks is important in soccer. Depending on the skill of the the other team, corner kicks can be easy or hard to defend. There are two ways to defend corner kicks...

1. Give each play a "zone" to defend. This method is used when the other team stands still for too long.
2. Mark each player, "man to man". This method is used when the team runs plays that involve crashing the box.

Make sure to go over defending corner kicks in practice. Remember: Practice makes perfect!

Corner Kicks: Offense

Come up with several different plays to run on corner kicks. This will allow your team to take advantage of every opportunity. If you play the same one more than a couple times, the other team will catch on, and steal the ball. Some of my favorite corner kicks are the following:

1. Crowd the Goalie: This corner kick has all players crowd around the goalie, so they cannot see where the ball is coming in. This is effective when you are playing against a short goalie. The players also have the option to disperse once the ball is kicked.
2. Run On: Have all players start at the top of the eighteen yard box, then when the player taking the corner kick raises their hand, everyone runs into the area.
3. Stations: Assign each player a spot inside the eighteen and  have the player taking the corner place the ball on another player's head.

Corner kicks are essential in winning a soccer game. It helps if you give each play a different name, one that is unique to that team. For example, one of my teams corner kick name was "Honey Badger", it was unique to our team.

How to Build a Wall

When defending a free kick within shooting range of your goal, it is necessary to "build a wall". It helps to keep the goal blocked, and take away any chance of the other team getting a straight shot on goal. You usually want your outside and central midfielders in the wall. Depending on how far away the kick is being taken determines the number of people in the wall. Have the goalie position the wall. Make sure the ball is in line with the line, which is in line with the goal post. You always want as much goal covered as you can get. You must be ten yards away from the ball. If asked the referee will count it out. Make sure to be fast at setting up the wall. Some teams game plan is to quickly take the free kick, so the other team is caught off guard. As soon as the ball is kicked or touched, charge the ball. You must me fearless when in a wall, or you could give up a goal.

Image found on Yahoo Sports

Central Midfielder Positioning: 4-4-2

Many people are confused on how to position their central midfielders in a 4-4-2. I personally prefer to play with an attacking and holding midfield. It allows for your team to be balanced both offensively and defensively. In the picture below, found on BBC Sports (http://www.news.bbc.com), the two central midfielders are highlighted to give a clue to where they would be.

Job of Holding Midfielder

The job of the holding midfielder is to stay back and play defensively. They usually play in front of the central defenders. Controlling the the ball around the back, then making runs through to score goals. This position requires fitness. You are required to play both sides of the game. It's useful to be able to run fast. The holding central midfielder is a job reserved for a special player, that sees the field well.

Job of Attacking Midfielder

The attacking midfielder is the goal scorer. Most people assume that the forwards do all the scoring. In all actuality, the central midfielders score a lot of goals also. There job is to make runs though and feed balls to the forward. To be a center mid, you must have stamina, speed, and smarts. The central midfielder is the anchor of the team.  

Top 10 Central Midfielders:

• 10- Esteban Cambiasso, Inter Milan/Argentina
• 9- Javi Martinez, Athletic Bilbao/Spain
• 8- Alex Song, Arsenal/Cameroon
• 7-Scott Parker, Tottenham/England
• 6- Yann M’Vila, Rennes/France
• 5- Javier Mascherano, Barcelona/Argentina
• 4- Daniele De Rossi, Roma/Italy
• 3- Bastian Schweinsteiger, Bayern Munich/Germany
• 2- Sergio Busquets, Barcelona/Spain
• 1- Xabi Alonso, Real Madrid/Spain

 Top 10 reviewed and listed accordingly, found on Fox Soccer (http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer)





Xabi Alonso
Found on Zimbio.com



Defenseive Stance

Most people when they start playing soccer, want to play offense. In all actuality, the defense is the most important part of a team. Some people argue the point that without the offense there would be no goals produced, but others may say that without defenders the other team will score on you. The most famous defensive quote is, "The Defense wins championships, the offense is just there." I'm not siding with either of them because I think soccer is a joint effort between the defense and offense. I play both sides of the game. on my high school team, I play forward, but on my club team i usually play in the stopper position of a back four diamond. to be a successful defender you need to learn the basics.

Step 1: Determine whether you or one of your teammates should pressure the ball first. This may be difficult due to the position of the attacking player. The rule of thumb is the closet person pressures first. (I use the word pressure various times, which means to attack, or go for the ball.)
Step 2: Step up to the player attacking, with a slight bend in the knees and one arm length away. You want to be able to reach out and touch the player while defending. Keep your feet moving and hands at your side.(hint: if they are doing step overs or any other move, look at their stomach)
Step 3: Try and decide when to tackle. You must go in hard! if you do not, you could get injured.
Step 4: Win the ball!

Formations

One of the most important aspects of soccer is the proper formation-- the arrangement of players into position on the field. Coaches adjust their formations depending on how aggressive or defensive they want their team to be. Popular formations include 4-4-2 , 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 5-3-2 and 4-2-3-1. In my opinion the formation 4-4-2 is the way to go! The 4-5-1 and the 4-3-3 are also very effective.

4-4-2

My favorite formation is the 4-2-2. It is a balance between a defensive team and an offensive team, which most teams are. Each person has an individual job on the field. The goalkeeper is the same in all formations, protecting the goal using their their hands and feet. The centre-backs are defensive players that focus on clearing the ball to the outside. The left- and right-backs clear the ball up the sides and also look for runs and overlaps. The centre midfielders are the anchors of the 4-4-2. This formation allows for compensation. For instance, the centre midfielders can be positioned one in front of the other or beside each other. The left and right midfielders run the planks, or outsides, and look for crosses. The centre forwards in the 4-4-2 can be used as target players or run-on players. They main goal is to score and assist. The 4-4-2 is my favorite formation because it allows versatility. I believe it is better than the 4-5-1 and the 4-3-3 because it compensates for lack of depth. The 4-5-1 utilizes only one forward. It doesn't help when your losing and trying to score a tying goal. The 4-3-3 is a good formation, but you have to have an outstanding centre midfielder to fill the position and do the work of two centre midfielders.