Your Game: Breaking Down the Defense with Possesion & Ball Movement
June 25, 2007
While possession allows a team to gather itself and build the attack, it’s ball movement that ultimately breaks down the defense and creates the scoring opportunities.
Experienced trainers point out possession without movement off the ball can “invite pressure,” meaning the defense gains confidence when they see the offense become stagnant with fewer options. It’s why players who can possess or one-touch and move to space are so valuable at any level.
Current Syracuse University Men’s Soccer Coach Dean Foti makes some excellent points in Attacking Soccer (by Joseph A. Luxbacher; Human Kinetics; ISBN 0-7360-0123-9) that include:
“The most important benefit of possession soccer is that the team with more possession will have the opportunity to create more scoring chances. Possession play to find numerical advantages throughout the field, to penetrate and unbalance an opponent’s defense, is what will break down defenses, create scoring opportunity and produce goals.
Several basic building blocks are prerequisites for effective possession soccer. First, players must be able to make correct decisions quickly during play. Second, individual team members must have a common understanding about when to keep possession of the ball and when to go forward and penetrate. Last, when concise decision making and a clear understanding of the possession vs. penetration concept are in place, a team can focus on increasing the speed of play, on moving the ball quickly within the team to unbalance the opponent’s defense.
Slow play allows the defense time to react comfortably to every movement of the ball. Each time a player in possession of the ball pauses to decide what to do next the defense has time to adjust.
If a team can increase speed of play by acting quickly on decisions and thus moving the ball rapidly from player to player, the defense has less time to react and keep up. By not allowing the defense time to provide adequate pressure, cover and balance, opportunities to penetrate will arise.”
For players and coaches, if you’re looking for interesting perspectives and tips about possession soccer and speed of play, check out these links on possesion and speed of play.
– Steve Arters
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