3 Things that are hard for a defender at any level

Defense is hard. This position requires as strength, vision, speed and general athleticism more than the other positions [in my opinion] and I would argue defenders are probably the most under-appreciated of the soccer players. So the challenges abound for defenders to not only be good leaders with good attitudes and direct from the back but to also be leaders in having vision for the field and communicating what needs to happen and when and to lead in athletic ability. Below I have listed 3 things that I think are hard for a defender at any level of play.

3 skills that are hard for a defender

Tracking your man when the balls out wide

One of the hardest things for a defender is being able to see your man/mark and the ball, while tracking a player in the middle. You want to be able to use your hands to not grab, but feel/know where the other defender is.  Also position yourself as early as possible so you can turn and face the field, not your own goal you’re defending. There are times you have to do it but this is not ideal.

If you are the center back and tracking your man while the ball is outside about to be crossed in.  This is a time you really need to work harder than ever to put yourself in position to make the play, or you will get scored on more.  Staying ball side, checking your shoulder and staying at least within arms reach. 

Ball watching

Ball watching is another thing that is common for defenders because once the ball is cleared up it’s easy to think you can rest. It’s very easy to watch your teammates make plays because that’s where the action is.  Most players want to watch the ball, but you have to know where all the players off the ball are.  Once you clear a ball up or once your team has advanced to the other side of the field you have to look around on each side. 

You also need to look behind so that when the ball comes your way, you already know where your mates are.  When you know where the defenders are, you can make a quicker decision and better position yourself to make a good play and keep the ball.

When to ‘get tight’ on your mark

Knowing when to step into the midfield to get tight on a attacking player when there are already 2 attackers on the last line of defense.  If you don’t know, a defensive unit needs to have 1 extra man so that you can keep the other team from scoring.  There are some players and teams who are very creative and will switch up there attacking mids and forwards.  A forward will float into the midfield and the midfielder will get high, meaning go all the way to the last line of defense.

At a youth level many defenders are used to being told by the coach to mark #10 or #9 or whoever, so when that happens the defenders get used to marking that player.   That when if a player goes into the midfield and brings you with them it leaves a gap in the defense and if a #8 is smart he or she can go up and cause lots of confusion for who to mark.

The best thing is for the defense to not man mark certain players, but to play “zone type defense” and just keep your teams shape.  Balance tracking players and passing players on. The key to this is lots of training, so you’re used to it and also lots of communication with your teammates. There are good drills that you can work on with groups of 6+ players but the best way is to just be aware in scrimmage and games and try to improve each game.  Once you build the good habits you are good to go.

Learning by watching game film with coach

The only way it gets harder is when the players you are playing get better, smarter and faster. The good thing as most players are not so creative or well coached so this won’t happen much at the youth level. College is when you really start to see the difference and especially pro.

One way to improve on this is to have a trainer watch you play a game or even better a video of you playing and have them go over the game with you, so they can point out what you are doing right or wrong. Usually it’s the timing of when to step and cover.  Every second is important, so the more you know the better player you will be.

Why a defender plays a more stressful role

Every soccer player will tell you that playing in the back is much more stressful than playing up top.  The reason is because if you lose the ball in the back, most likely your team will concede a goal.  Losing the ball up top, playing forward is not as much of a big deal.  After losing the ball up top, the other team still would have to get the ball all the way to the other end of the field to score. 

That’s why good defenders have ice in their veins. Meaning they stay cool, calm and collected when under pressure.  I think it’s a good idea for young players to get put in different positions.  Not only will you learn each position, but you will respect your teammates later down the road.