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📋 Session Plan · Defending

5v5 Defending Session

A 45-minute defending session for U10–U11 squads. 1v1 defending, pressing triggers, and recovery runs.

Duration45 min AgeU10–U12 Players10 Focus1v1 defending, pressing trigge
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⏱Session timeline

8m
15m
18m
4m

▦Session blocks

1

Shadow defending pairs

8 min

Shadow defending in pairs: defender mirrors attacker's movement 2m behind. No ball. 5v5 warm-up with pressing trigger — any back pass triggers a sprint press.

2

1v1 channel defending

15 min

Four simultaneous 1v1 channels. No tackling first 3 reps — pure body shape. Tackling from rep 4. Coach calls: angle, wait, patience.

3

5v5 with pressing triggers

18 min

5v5. Back pass = press trigger. Coach counts successful presses.

4

Cool-down

4 min

Players name one moment they successfully jockeyed without diving in.

◆What you'll need from yourself

Patience during the channel defending — resist the urge to shout 'tackle!' every time. Let the body shape drill do its work.

!Common problems

Players pressing in pairs when one should hold — only the nearest player presses.