Team Defense: Evaluating your Personnel, Crafting your Defense Carter Abbott Head Coach, The Pingry School; Former Assistant Coach U-19 National Team Staff

Evaluating the Individuals Who can pressure the ball without getting beaten? – Pressure the approach drill Who has quick hands? Who can get the ball down? – Stick protection drill Who are your good double teamers? – Biscuit/basket drill Who slides well? – Biscuit/basket drill Who sees the field the best? Who directs traffic? – 2v2 +up to three Who are your communicators? – “one more pass” drill Who has the attitude and aggressiveness of a defender?

Evaluating the Team Do we have team speed? Do we have team quickness? Do we communicate well? Are we an athletic group? Do we learn quickly? Then…craft your defense based on those attributes.

White What is it? – Player to player defense with all defenders packed in at the 8 meter. – Your most conservative defense, low risk, low reward. Why we do it? – Very effective against a dodging/driving team that initiates offensive play with a dodge/drive – Sets up good double teams – Good if your team doesn’t have the quickest feet, or skilled communicators, because the responsibilities are clear. – Get good at this first-then take risks. – This is what I settle into when things aren’t going well-but the other theory is to go for it when things aren’t going well! – White #2-extend the pressure out beyond the 8 meter.

White Diagram

Blue What is it? – Hard 1v1 pressure on the ball, without getting beaten – Adjacent defenders are in at the 8, perhaps baiting an interception to their adjacent attacker Why do we do it? – Disrupts a team that feeds inside a lot. – Pressures the feeder so that she can’t see the pass. – Utilizes a defender who has quick feet or quick hands or exploits an attacker with a weak stick. – Can play Blue only with specific defenders or focus on specific attackers (you can hide weaker defenders or exploit weaker attackers) – Allows your defenders to dictate play – Good for a team with a wide range of talent Variations… – Shutting off behind but not adjacent.

Blue Diagram

Pink What is it? – Hard 1v1 pressure on the ball; denying the adjacent pass. – 2 passes away must pinch in for doubles; – More aggressive form of Blue, but not quite Red, hence Pink! Why do we do it? – More apt to force a turnover – More aggressive than Blue, but can still play it for long stretches. – Defense gets to dictate play! – Requires team quickness and communication and good understanding of help.

Pink

Red What is it? – Double team on the ball, deny adjacents – Leave furthest player from the ball open – Highest pressure defense; can only play it for short stretches Why do we do it? – Force a turnover – Good for end of game/end of half situations – To mess with the other team in the middle of the half- throw them off! – Toughest of the defenses to play; requires speed, communication, good double teaming, adjusting on the fly, game situation recognition and fitness.

Getting into Red

Red

Gold What is it? – Start in white or blue then add “flying double” – Flying double-when a certain predetermined player(s) on the other team get(s) the ball, she gets doubled by your “gold” person Why do we do it? – If we are concerned about a particular player(s) – To make the other team adjust and find an open player – If the other team is slow to adjust to new scenarios – Requires a “gold” person who is fast, quick and smart Variations… – Blue/Gold – Gold when ball goes behind. – Double team immediately a specific player with an adjacent defender

Gold Diagram

Gold diagram

Special Situations The other team bases their entire offense around the crease roll. The other team has one great player who scores tons of goals on us every year. The other team plays with the ball up top and drives from the top all the time.