defensive running lines

Defensive running lines to stop the baseline attack

Derek Pappas

Derek E. Pappas Copyright © 2015

Defender behind the ball carrier

• When the defender is behind the right side ball carrier by 1-2 steps what is the best angle to choose in order to close down the ball carrier?

• This is an important defensive pattern

• Good teams such as the Netherlands women or the German men can run/pass the ball down the right corner channel and then run the ball along the baseline and pass back for a shot or get a foot for a short corner


Prioritizing defensive running lines

Green: high priority: make tackle, mark, or close space down Yellow: medium priority: cover space, block passing lane Red: low priority: likely to be bypassed by a ball carrier or a pass


Recognition and prioritization

• Players in the defense must recognize their next responsibility to the team defense

• Defenders must prioritize their next movement/action in defense based on stopping the following: • shot • circle penetration • bypass dribble • danger pass (a pass which bypasses the defense or

results in a scoring opportunity)


Positioning

• One national team for 20+ years has talked about getting bodies in the right position on the field at the right time.

Al Pacino's Inch By Inch speech from Any Given Sunday

You find out that life is just a game of inches.So is football.Because in either gamelife or footballthe margin for error is so small.I meanone half step too late or to earlyyou don't quite make it.One half second too slow or too fastand you don't quite catch it.The inches we need are everywhere around us.They are in ever break of the gameevery minute, every second.


The direction the outside defender runs is important

Running angle wrong

ball carrier bypasses defender

Running angle wrong

ball carrier given space

by the defender

Running angle

correct ball carrier

slowly closed down by the defender


Moving as a team to defendClose down the ball carrier (player 1) Second tackler on the ball carrier (player 2 delays to block pass) Mark the receivers in dangerous positions (players 3, 4, 5)

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The direction the outside defender runs is important

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Top view actual 1

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Top view actual 2

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Top view actual 3

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Top view ideal 1

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Top view ideal 2

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Top view ideal 2

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Top view ideal 3

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Top view ideal 3

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Top view ideal 4

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What actually happenedThree defenders went the wrong way. The result a foot in the circle, PC, and goal.

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What should have happened

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NED (orange) has already turned the corner.

ITA can’t stop the hit and will be in the danger zone if they try to.

ITA is as fast as NED. ITA (blue) is running the wrong

angle

NED (orange) goes around the corner.

ITA (blue) could be behind the yellow circle if they ran a different

line.

NED (orange) goes around the corner.

Remember ITA (blue) number 3. That player ran out of the circle

instead of moving to mark Van Ass so ITA 2 can move to the baseline

and block the ball carrier

Van Ass

ITA 2 can’t move to the baseline until ITA 3 arrives to mark Van Ass. But ITA 3 goes the wrong direction. And ITA 2 is stuck in no man’s land

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Make the tackle outside of the circle

• Why give the lane to the defender?

• The back pass should be covered by another defender switching to Van Ass.

• Two hands on the stick to facilitate rapidly changing the tackling grip

• get down to the baseline BEFORE the ball carrier and block their path like the AUS/GER defenders

Use two hands.Change the tackling grip quickly


Use the correct tackling grip on the baseline

• Once the ball is inside of the circle the defender has to protect their feet and stop the ball carrier

• Don’t let the ball carrier into the circle

Why is the stick facing up?

defensive running lines

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