Defend and defend again

U13–U16 | DEFENCE 7

Get players communicating and realigning quickly

1. Mark out a 40m x 20m area, split into two 20m square boxes with cones every 5m down the middle. Put four attackers (one with a ball) by one box and three by the other. Put three defenders by the first 5m cone.
2. When you say “go”, the four attackers run forward into their box, passing the ball and aiming to score at the far end. The defenders move across to make a tackle.

3. On the tackle, the ball carrier is released, gets up and runs to the first cone in the middle. In the meantime, the defenders recover and line up 5m back from the ball carrier, opposite the other attackers.
4. The ball carrier then passes to the attackers in the other box and the pattern repeats with the defenders coming across to make the tackle.

5. While this is happening, the first set of attackers realign alongside the first 5m cone, ready for their next attack.
6. This pattern continues with the players going to the next cone each time until there have been four attacks. If the attackers score, the ball carrier and the defence run to the end line and then return to the next cone (tiring out the defence).

 

You will need

• A 40m x 20m area split into two 20m square boxes
• 1 ball
• Cones
• Bibs

Got more players?

Set up another area alongside

What to tell your players

“Communicate who is covering who”
“Come up together in a line”
“If you are set before the pass, then come up quickly”