Defend the area

By Michael Beale

This practice looks at how defenders need to isolate the attacker they are going to try and stop, and work together to win the ball. It's a bit like watching a nature programme when you see lions stalking a herd of zebra - they single one out, then work together to isolate it.

You need to use a 30x20 yards playing area. The players running into the area each need a ball.

1. Nominate a player to start as the defender. Or, for larger groups in a bigger area, you may wish to use two defenders.
2. The attackers attempt to dribble across the area to the opposite side while the defenders try to stop them by tackling or clearing the ball.
3. If the attacker is tackled, he becomes a defender for the next game, which begins from the other side.