Swoosh Protection! Can Younger Players Discover the Flat Again Four Zone Defense?

I was lately asked, “Coach Hardy, why are you coaching youth soccer groups
to enjoy a flat back again four zone protection?” The perception remaining that a sweeper/
stopper procedure is a ‘safer’ defense for younger groups. Initial of all, any protection
will have its strengths and weaknesses. A professional coach will know those
weaknesses and will really encourage their staff to split it down. All disclaimers
apart, the flat back four is the most well-liked process of most fashionable groups. A
youth soccer mentor need to emphasize the advancement of gamers inside of the
context of contemporary soccer.

When adequately executed, a flat back 4 will give superb
defensive force, go over and harmony. Youthful soccer players need to be
formulated to perform at their optimum prospective amount and virtually all bigger stage
groups enjoy a flat 4 or a few program. Coaching a flat back 4 protection gives
players a foundation for long run achievement in soccer. Even a crew as young as U11
team can efficiently play a flat again four zone protection. A staff may give up
‘break-away’ aims in the short time period, even though they find out the system, but in the
extensive run they will have the capacity to confidently phase into a modern defensive
technique.

A group can effectively play a flat back again 4 right after just a couple of instruction
periods and a handful of game titles. I use the pre-year procedures, tournaments
and scrimmages as a time for a crew to discover the participant roles and group form
of a flat back 4 zone defense.

To assistance players visually have an understanding of the staff condition of the protection I
phone it the ‘Swoosh’ protection. As the back again four defenders shift still left and ideal
across the discipline, the condition of the defense unit appears to be like the Nike “Swoosh”
emblem. If the gamers drift out of shape I can just say “Swoosh” and right away
the gamers know where by to situation them selves. As the gamers truly feel at ease
with the program they will remind every other to “Swoosh”. Listed here are four standard
tips to be mindful of when coaching the Swoosh protection.

1. Swoosh Protection

The again four defensive form will reduce the other crew from obtaining
‘break away chances’ by creating confident the far-aspect exterior defender and the
much-aspect central defender shift and protect diagonally guiding the pressuring
close to-aspect defenders. It sounds intricate but it is really pretty uncomplicated. The
defenders shift diagonally to the posture of the ball.

With this right positioning the ‘Swoosh’ defense is denying ball
penetration, the unsafe attacking players are marked and the masking
defenders will ‘sweep’ any ball that gets played by way of. If the ball is switched
to the far facet of the discipline, the defending four gamers will change the ‘Swoosh’
accordingly. I have identified that young gamers can easily keep in mind to ‘Swoosh!’
a lot more that ‘Pressure, Deal with, Balance’.

It is important for gamers to don’t forget that the diagonal go over condition
is why the team will not need to have a sweeper. The most prevalent defensive mistake
is for the workforce to stand absolutely ‘flat’. This is specially common at the 50 percent-discipline
line when the team with the ball has been keeping possession in the
opponent’s 50 % of the discipline. Which describes why teams that are understanding the
Swoosh defense will ordinarily give up their ambitions from 50 percent-discipline breakaways.

If the defenders stand flat at half subject then any ball performed driving the
defense will result in a breakaway race without having any person to end a intention but the
goalkeeper.

2. Marking A Man In Your Zone

In addition to the Swoosh shape, the 4 defenders require to turn into
aware of the attacking player in their region of accountability. Young players
typically concentration all of their consideration on the ball. This undesirable habit is identified as ‘ball
watching’. Young gamers will normally ball watch right until the ball will come in close proximity to them
and only then will they attempt and get it. But finding the ball is only aspect of the position
of defending. The Swoosh defense necessitates that players be in a excellent defensive
place although marking the opponent ‘goal-aspect and ball-side’.

When defenders ‘ball-watch’, opponents will go into unmarked
positions. The basic rule for defenders is to mark the most unsafe participant in
your zone and remain ball-side and purpose-facet of them.

The break-aways from the Swoosh defense ordinarily materialize when a
defender is “caught flat ” and would not react to the open opponent in their zone
until finally it truly is way too late. If a defenders waits until finally right after the go is performed forward to
go in the direction of the mark in their zone then there is usually a foot race to the purpose.
90% of superior protection is positioning away from the ball.

(Observe: One more cause I use the “Swoosh” phrase is to simply because young players will
often stay “flat” if the protection is referred to as a “flat back 4”.)

Ball looking at
is quite typical actions for younger soccer players, even so, a defender is a
very essential position and that player ought to be warn and experienced sufficient to
not ball enjoy. Studying to mark accurately is a talent that will come with
commitment to studying.

3. Line Of Restraint And Compactness In the course of Transition

The simple principle of excellent defending is to build ‘compactness’. I
really encourage the protection to make compactness when we changeover to offense or
when the opponent passes the ball backwards. We do this for the reason that (a)
compacting the house that the other staff has to perform with generates force
and (b) we can capture them off-sides. I do not really encourage a innovative off-
sides lure below U14, but relocating up the discipline to build compactness will capture
unaware forwards off-sides.

If we are sluggish in our have changeover to offense (for case in point, right after we
just cleared the ball from the defensive third) and our defenders just continue to be deep
in our personal 50 percent then we are giving the other team tons of room to transfer the ball
back again in direction of our objective. The common rule I mentor is if the ball goes up the subject 5
yards then we move the defense up 5 yards – 20 yards up the subject implies we
go 20 yards up the area. This is genuine until finally we cross 50 % industry. At half discipline,
the back again 4 action a handful of yards into the opponents fifty percent of the industry.

If our defense stays again in our very own 50 % of the subject then there is less
force and with considerably less force the other workforce will invest the sport in our half.
I believe it is a superior idea to check out and defend the half line than your objective.

The critical to properly compacting the room is that all of the
defenders should transfer up jointly. If just 1 defender stays again then the
other crew will exploit that. The line of defenders relocating up the field is termed
our ‘Line of Restraint’. Our purpose is to have our ‘Line of Restraint’ no a lot more than
35 yards from our forwards until finally our defenders reach the 50 % line.

Again, a secondary reward of compacting the area all through changeover is
that the other team is often off-sides due to the fact their forwards are caught
standing close to after the ball has been cleared.

4. Off-Sides And Referees

A common problem when taking part in the Swoosh protection is that referees
can make problems with the off0sides call and the other workforce will have uncomplicated
split-aways. As much as the referees lacking offsides phone calls, very well, that’s the
mother nature of the video game. The crucial is to control the controllables. As coaches, we
can not control the referee’s choices but we can control the team’s capability to
have good positioning and marking. Moreover, if a crew performs excellent protection
and scores objectives then they will not be in a place that will enable the referee to
identify the outcome of the sport.

In summary, if we mentor to have defenders compact in changeover, get
in our suitable ‘Swoosh’ shape, and mark their opponent purpose-facet and ball-
side, then I am confident that the flat back four zone protection can be effective
even with younger groups.

Now that my recent U11 team is comfortable with the
Swoosh protection, we have moved on to the role of the attacking exterior
defender and their capability to shift ahead to be a part of the attack.