Defensive movement & body shape

Description

In this session we are focusing on our players movement & body shape. The drill begins with the player sprinting to the middle pole/cone. The player then transitions to a back pedal to move around the pole on their left shoulder, before bursting up to the pole ahead of them, to mirror stepping high and closing down. The player then transitions to a back pedal again to move around the middle pole, to move out to the right side, again to practice closing down and covering space. The player then transitions for a third time to backpedal to the pole on their right shoulder, to reenact moving back towards goal. To finish the player moves back to the middle and back pedals back to the start. An important factor to consider is the players body shape, particularly when backpedaling, to be able to see where the ball and opposition player would be. The drill should be completed at least four times, with a change of direction after 2 - 3 reps.