Secrets to Soccer Training: Top Secrets for Zonal Defense in Soccer Training.

The Zonal Defense in soccer is considered as a great alternative to a man-to-man defense system, where one team player defends a zone on the field as opposed to each player guarding the corresponding team’s player.

The Zonal defending system requires the player to be disciplined, focused, athletic, making quick decisions and having excellent defensive techniques. One of the most important tips while defending is to make your players aware of their exact positions while on field. Read on to know below the top secrets of soccer training.

Zonal Defense:

While utilizing the Zonal defending technique, make sure you inform your players about their positions and assign them a particular zone. This makes it their responsibility to clear the zone should the ball reach them.
Consider your teams two least effective headers to be placed on each post, in order to clear the shots of the keeper. They can also cover this keeper incase of their attempt to smash or catch the ball.
Position the better headers on the six yard line and place three players, one each across the post and the other across the centre who also should be your teams best header.
The next focus could be placed on a six and18 yard lines, where another three players could be positioned in a similar manner.
In order to guard your team against the dangerous “flick-ons,” place an extra defender on the six yard lines which should be in the vicinity of the goal line and outside the near post.
To prevent the ball from going to the nearest post, one of the defenders should take the corner kicks in order to force the attacker to play the ball in a different manner.
It is also a responsibility of this defender to protect the ball should the attacking team try to take a short corner kick.
Position a player between a halfway box and a penalty line, so incase the ball clears the field the other teammates can move out.
Lastly, the position of the goalkeeper is also crucial at the field. He ought to stand in a manner in which he can see the ball and the penalty zone as clearly as possible. This area falls ahead of the goal line and at the centre of the goal.

The Flat Back 4:

Another technique used with the zonal defense system, is the flat back 4 technique, where a total of 4 players are positioned in a chain sort of orientation and move unanimously during the match.

There are two outside defenders and two inside defenders. Every defender in this chain has a job to defend either the ball or any other player which comes in their way.

The movement of this particular position is depended on the ball and is mainly used for attacking and defending.

The “Flat Back 4” gives the liberty to the players to defend the ball with flexibility. If the ball remains in the right zone then the right back advances towards the ball tugging the other three defenders around. Similarly, same set of rules follow, should the ball fall in the left zone of the field.
It often happens that if a goal takes place, the first to be blamed is the goalkeeper despite a range of errors occurring in the mid field due to poor defense systems. For the same reason, the flat back 4 defense system was introduced in order to make a good defensive scheme and create a block making it equally easier for the goal keeper.
Coaches have the liberty to literally tie these members with a rope for training purposes in order to get the best of the results. This activity helps in introducing the idea to the players and making them comfortable with it. The coaches also have the freedom to choose the best 6 players in the team, however the flat back 4 should be the foundation of any team.
The coaches also ought to make sure that the defensive plans are in place before beginning a match.
It is also essential for players to understand that their roles and requirements shall change constantly during a single match. They also need to be coached with respect to their location and timings as per the match progresses.

Secrets to Soccer Training: Top Secrets for Zonal Defense in Soccer Training

written by: jaeljack