Defending in a 1v1 situation

An individual performance often decides a game so it is a really important part for soccer players to develop and work on. Individual actions taken during games can strongly affect not only games but careers. There are attacking and defensive movements and defending in a 1v1 situation is one of these so we should discuss this topic in more details. 

Defending is about avoiding to concede a goal not only about taking the ball away from the opponent. If a player can stop the opponent from scoring a goal then he did his job right. If he can get the ball then he did it even better. These statements result that the players defending always have to make a decision and with this decision they take a risk. They exactly need to know when and what to do. They need the right moment, the right pace, the right skills and the right situation on the pitch.

Just like in every in-game situation there is a perception, an analysis, a decision and an execution. The first three are related to the soccer players’ brain and the last one is up to their actual movements, their bodies, muscles, etc. The first three are cognitive abilities while the fourth one is a motor skill. This is why risk-taking is important in every game situation. Players need to analyse and decide well.

1v1 situations on the pitch

There are areas on the pitch with different risk factors. For instance, players can take and should take more risks in their attacking third and less in their defensive area. This is why players should be aware of what they have to do tactically when defending. There are areas where they shouldn’t let the opponent player go through and there are areas where they only have to force the opponent towards a side where a “trap” waits for the opponent team. This really does depend on the team’s tactics during the game.

In every 1v1 situations there is a proactive and a reactive player. Proactive players usually control the situation and most of the times proactive players win the duels but it depends on the players character so coaches must take the players’ attitudes and personalities into consideration when creating and developing the tactics against an opponent. (There also could be qualitative superiority that makes easier to win the 1v1.) In this video, Badstuber explains it as he has so many experience in this. 

As we are –as a team- coming back towards our goal, our players should take less and less risks when defending in a 1v1 situation and the task is becoming different from the attacking third’s 1v1 defending tasks. (Players should know that they can be proactive in every zone.) 

Zone 1 defending: In Zone 1, players should take the least risk possible, they should only stop the opponent from scoring because most of the times there aren’t so many more defenders behind the defending player’s back. An unnecessary risk-taking could be a game-decider. This is why most of the central defenders are better at reacting and better at reading the attacking players’ movements.

Zone 2 defending: In Zone 2, players can take more risks so not only should they block and prevent the opponent from playing through them but they can try to tackle them as well. 

Zone 3 defending: This is the zone where players can take more risks without any danger or consequences. This is the zone where usually attacking players play who aren’t as good defensively as the others. In Zone 3, players try the most tackles.

How to defend in a 1v1 situation

1. First of all, the defensive player needs to be aware of the actual situation around the ball before doing anything. He must take into consideration the previously mentioned surroundings.

2. Then he needs to make a run and approach the player on the ball. The defender’s run shouldn’t be in a straight line because by running directly towards the opponent can make the defender become the reactive player (that usually loses the duel). As the defender is aware of the current situation, he knows which way to force the opponent, this is why he needs to curve his run a little bit to force the player on the ball towards a side that the defender chose (not the attacker). He needs to approach until he is 1-1,5 metres away from him. (It is also a risk-taking whether he knows or doesn’t know his opponent well enough. If the attacker is so much quicker, then the defender should give him more space and slow him down first.)

3. Most of the times the defender should be in between the player on the ball and his own goal to prevent the attacker from scoring or making an important killer pass.

The defender should be in the defending position that is really important to become an automatism when defending. Body position should be low, the player should keep his centre of gravity low (knees bent) because it allows him to change direction and/or space quicker. The defender should be on his toes, keep his chest down and arms high.  With the defender’s body positioning he can force the attacker towards a direction, towards a less dangerous area. The defender should be sideways to the attacker with knees bent! Then the defender should be patient and wait until the attacker makes a mistake. These mistakes could be:

• a bad touch on the ball
• the ball is on his weaker foot
• he turns around facing his own goal
• the attacker has his centre of gravity high

4. As soon as the man on the ball made a mistake, the defender should react and try to make a tackle. If he doesn’t feel like he’s got the opportunity to make a tackle, that’s also fine: then he needs to slow him down until he gets help from his teammates. Usually defenders can tackle with their feet nearer to the opponent. There are times when the attacker reacts to the defender’s body position and tries to outrun him with long, strong touches on the ball. This is why the low centre of gravity can win duels for the defender because he can change pace quickly and use his arms to get in between the ball and the attacker. Pace, reaction and change of direction are key as well as his arms!

These principles and steps can be practiced through this 1v1 soccer drill: Basic Individual Defending

Which way to force the attacker

This is a question that is frequently asked but has no real answer that is true for every situation, this is why reading and understanding the game is that important for the defending team, too. The most important thing is to avoid conceding a goal and then the best one is getting the ball, stealing the ball from the opposition. Individual defending doesn’t exist itself, it is only a part of the tactics and part of the team play. 1v1 situations are the most difficult to defend (except for the outnumbered situations) because the defender is all on his own without any help. 2v2s and 3v3s are easier to “solve” although 1v1s appear in these in-game situations, too. 

In a separate 1v1 situation it is important to force the opponent towards his weaker foot to avoid conceding a goal (or losing the duel only). In another game situations where 1v1 is not separated (but a part of it) the task usually is to force the attacker towards the space where your teammates are. It will be more difficult for the attacker to deal with the growing stimulus because there are other factors to pay attention to.

How to teach 1v1 defending technique

Firstly, coaches should show videos or present the correct way of defending and then he should explain every part of it going into details emphasizing the most important parts. Coaches know their team so they know the focus points they should be aware of. Showing them a video is a great way of presenting the individual defending because coaches can illustrate it correctly. Then players should give it a try through easy 1v1 drills, just like this one: 1v1 Focusing on Individual Defending Principles

The first movement they should learn is the defending position, then they should move, curve their run and force the opponent. Coaches should pay attention to the correct centre of gravity.

Secondly, coaches should fix the players movements one-by-one if needed by showing them. If possible, coaches can record their players with a camera so he can show these footages to their players immediately or next time. Player will see themselves as an outsider and it will make them easier to realise everything they did wrong. 

Thirdly, players will understand the right way of defending in a 1v1 situation but coaches always have to be aware and monitor their players, then they also have to give feedbacks that are really important for players to develop. It might sound a cliché but it is often forgotten nowadays. 

To sum it up, individual defending is such an important part of the game. There are players who aren’t good at it and there are other who always steal the ball. 1v1 drills help the coaches find and get to know more about the players’ characteristics.