SESSION PLAN NUMBER 4
Defending Skills
Skills to Teach:
9&U / 11&U
 Shadow movement
 Hands over the ball
11&U / 13&U
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Defensive footwork
Shadow defence
First ball pressure to a contest
Interception
Hands over the ball
Recovery to three feet (0.9
metres)
 Combine simple movements
into defending actions
 Defend the shot – lean and
jump
 Rebounding
15&U / 17&U
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Body control and repositioning
Positioning side and back
Two on one
Two back and up
Sagging
Hands over the ball to dictate
pass
Delay and deny space
Defending around the goal
circle
Split circle
Work together in/out of the
circle
Communication skills
Defend the shot – inside hang
and block out
When teaching defending skills, the basic underlying skills that are involved are:
Starting Position (in front)
 Feet shoulder-width apart
 Positioned half-way across the opposition’s body
 Arms down by the side
 Vision on player and ball
Vision
 Head up and slightly turned
 Should be able to see both the ball and opponent
Body control / balance
 In the air/elevation
 On landing
 On extension
Footwork
 A variety of movement patterns
 Run – sidestep – change of direction – shuffle – back move
RULE OF THE WEEK: CONTACT
A player, who trips, knocks, bumps, pushes, holds an opponent is
contacting – whether the move is deliberate or accidental. Contact also
occurs if a player moves into another player’s path when it is too late for
that player to stop moving.
Equipment
6 balls
15 cones
2 sets of bibs
Group Organisation
12 players – modify equipment to suit size of group.
Physical Warm-up (10 minutes)
Shuttle Relay
See instructions in Warm-up and Cool Down Section, Relays.
Scarecrow Tag
See instructions in Warm-up and Cool Down Section, Games Without a Ball – Activity 5.
Stretch
See stretching section.
Skill Warm-up (5 minutes)
Change of direction through cones:
XXXX
Throwing (5 minutes)
Stationery Passing – focus on technique:
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Shoulder Pass
Chest Pass
Bounce Pass
Defence Skill Development
(please read coaching points regarding defence skills)
Drill 1: Shadow Defence in 3’s
 Defender to shadow attacker between cones. T hold ball high or low and defender call ball
position while shadowing.
T
 Add ball thrown to attacker. Defender to try to intercept
 Remove cones attacker stand behind a line, defender in shadow position in front of line. The
attacker makes one straight lead to get the ball. Defender attempts to intercept.
A
T
D
 Add attacker can make one change of direction.
If time play keepings off 3 vs. 3 in one third to practice shadowing, straight leads and change of
direction.
Drill 2: Hands Over
 Players to stand side by side behind a line. On command move back 1.2 metres.
XXXXXXX
 In pairs, both facing same direction, one behind the other. On command front player turns and
back player moves to 1.2 metres.
 Front player to hold a ball facing defender 1.2 metres away. Defender to position hands to
cover the ball which is moved around by the attacker.
 Add ball passed to third player (who may make a lead to left or right.
A D
A2
 Add player with the ball stands beside the defender, throws ball to self and turns to pass to A2
down court. D moves back 1.2 metres to defend pass.
Drill 3: Contesting
Line up in pairs behind a line with T in front. Maximum of four pairs in a line, one attacker and one
defender. T calls the pair to ‘go’ and attempts to pass the ball to the attacker within six seconds.
Attacker to make a straight lead or dodge to get ball while defender shadows.
XXXX
XXXX
T
Drill 3: Contesting in the circle
Two attackers and two defenders in the goal circle, and two throwers around the outside. Ball to be
passed in and out of circle a minimum of three times, ball can then be worked for a shot.
2v2
T
T
Coaching Points – Defence Skills
One on One (Shadowing)
In one on one defence the aim is to dictate the opponents play to force the attacker to a poor
position to turnover the ball. If the ball is coming from in front, use in front defence.
Teaching Points
 Stand in front of opponent with back to
attacker, and body halfway across
opponent’s body
 Arms close to sides of body
 Feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent,
weight slightly forward over toes and back
upright
 Vision to see attacker and the ball
 Shadow moves using fast small steps
 Aim to move feet to maintain vision of the
attacker and not swing the head
Common Errors
× Standing directly in front of attacker or
directly beside attacker
× Watching either the ball or the attacker
exclusively
× Bottom is not tucked in and legs straight
× Feet too close together or too far apart
× Arms positioned out from the body
causing obstruction
× Moving head and not feet to maintain
vision on attacker
CHANGE IT
 Working between
cones attacker uses a
variety of moves to
evade their opponent
and ‘shake the
shadow’
 T in front of group hold
ball to check defender
has vision of ball and
opponent
T
CHANGE IT
One on One
(Shadowing)
←
 Working in confined
area attacker uses a
variety of moves (e.g.
straight lead, dodge,
change of direction) to
evade opponent and
receive pass from T
T
D
D
A
A
Variation:
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Move ball around
high, low etc and
defender calls position
of ball
Pass ball to attacker
Variation:
 Use goal circle or wing
area around goal as
area
 Work number of
passes
→
 Eight players divided
into two teams
 Playing area is a series
of squares in a line
with a player from each
team placed in each
square and a T at
either end of line
 T starts with ball and
passes to attacking
team who pass it along
line, trying to avoid an
interception.
 Players must remain in
own square and should
use a variety of moves
to free themself from
the defender
 If a defender intercepts
or tips ball they
become attacking team
D
A
D
A
DA
D
A
T
Variation:
 No lobs to make it
easier for defenders
 Work same team as
defenders for a time
limit and count
intercepts and tips
T
Interception
To take possession of the ball during an attempted pass by the attacking team.
Teaching Points
 Read cues provided by the thrower to
anticipate direction of the pass
 Drive for an intercept at an angle
 Focus on ball
 Emphasis should be on strong first three
to four steps
 Run through to take the ball
 Land on the outside foot and balance
×
×
×
×
×
×
×
Common Errors
Misreading the cues
Leading too soon
Angle is too flat
Eyes and head looking down
Push off on the inside foot
Lunging at the ball
Landing on incorrect foot and
overbalancing
CHANGE IT
CHANGE IT
 X1 stands between
and in front of T2 and
T3 and attempts to
intercept pass from T1
to either T2 or T3.
T
Interception
or
←
X1
T
 T1 and T2 pass ball
between each other
until pass to either
attacker (A) with X1
trying to intercept
 X1 should move to
cover the pass to A’s
 A’s are stationary
T1
→
X1
T
Piggy in the Middle
one player stands in a
circle of approximately
six players and
attempts to intercept
passes made by the
circle players. Circle
players cannot pass to
player either side of
them.
A
X1
Variation:

T2
 Set up middle drill
again but in a defined
area, A’s can now
move in confined area
T1
T2
A
A
Variation:
 Restrict number of
passes between T1
and T2 to assist X1
A
Recovery to 0.9 metres (distance then hands) – 9&U distance is 1.2 metres
Within the rules of the game, defend the passer to pressure their release.
Teaching Points
 Push off strongly 0.9 metres distance (1.2
metres for Netta)
 Strong stride/jump back – can be one
large stride or few quick steps
 Use arms for power to jump back
 Head up with eyes on ball and opponent
 Weight balanced over two feet
 Bend slightly at hips, knees and ankles
 Weight forward with knees over toes
 Back straight and upright
 Arms up and in position
Common Errors
× Push off not quickly enough to get back
to distance
× Feet too wide or too close together –
difficult to change direction
× Eyes on ground – attempting to judge
distance
× Weight not balanced or too much on toes
× Legs straight
× Arms up too soon, i.e. before distance
has been gained
× Bend forward too much at waist
CHANGE IT
 Players stand behind a
line (body upright, feet
shoulder-width apart,
and knees slightly
flexed and over toes)
 On command step
back to 3’ (younger
players may need
more then one step)
X X X X X X X
Variation:
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Add put hands up
once 3’
CHANGE IT
 Ball between two
 Throw ball up between
themselves, person
who does not get ball
takes role of defender,
recovers to 3’ with
hands up when
attacker catches ball
 Need to designate the
direction of play
Recovery to 0.9 metres
←
 Work to cone, deflect
an imaginary ball with
outside hand then
recover to 3’ and
hands up
Variation:
 Add a random ball
thrown in for players to
deflect.
→
Variation:
 Designate who will
catch ball prior to
throwing it in air
 Combine two pairs.
One pair work 1vs.1
between two T’s. Ball
passed to attacker
from T1 then passes to
T2. Defender attempts
to intercept then
recovers to hands up.
T1
1vs.1
T2
Hands over Ball – 9&U distance is 1.2 metres
Players should attempt to defend every pass. This places pressure on the thrower and
increases the chance of an error or interception occurring.
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Teaching Points
Stand 0.9 metres in front of the
person throwing (1.2 metres for
Netta)
Feet shoulder-width apart, knees,
hips and ankles slightly bent
Entire foot on ground
Position arms over the ball, follow the
movement of the ball
Re-position quickly to defend
attackers next move
×
×
×
×
×
×
Common Errors
Incorrect distance
Hands coming up before correct
distance is taken
Feet narrow, knees, hips and ankles
straight – lose balance
Hands not over the ball
Player on toes – lose balance and
shorten distance
Arms waving and not defending ball
CHANGE IT
 Players stand to face
coach (feet shoulderwidth apart, body
upright and knees
slightly flexed and out
over the toes)
 On coach’s command
players defend an
imaginary ball with
their hands in position
of a clock face
 e.g. 12 o’clock – hands
high above head, 9
o’clock - right hand
above head and left
hand out to side
CHANGE IT
 Repeat Recovery to
0.9 metres (drill three
above) and add hands
over the ball
Variation:
Hands over Ball
←
 In pairs, one person
holds a ball, the other
person stands to
defend the pass
 Position hands, using
the clock face concept,
to cover the ball
 e.g. if ball is to one
side use a 3 or 9
o’clock hand position
 Move the ball to a new
position after each
defence
→
 Attacker passes to a
third person
 Combine 2 pairs. One
pair work 1vs.1
between two T’s. Ball
passed to the attacker
from T1 then passes to
T2. Defender attempts
to intercept then
recovers to hands up.
T1
Variation:
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Add putting hands up
once 3’.
1vs.1
T2