Have you watched those amazing videos of attacking players

who flashed past defenders with ease and left them stranded

in their blazing trail?

That was Gareth Bale, tearing apart the defense of Inter Milan. This is a classic example

of how wingers can make full use of their devastating pace to free themselves from the

marking defender.

Imagine you are a defender marking Gareth Bale. Gareth Bale is like the superhero

“Flash” with lightning-fast speed. What are some basic things to watch out for, when

defending against fast attackers?

1. NEVER OVER-commit

Never give up the space behind you as the defender. When the attacker is coming

at you in full speed, you should never charge towards him. When doing so, it makes

it much easier for the attacker to get by you and the area you are defending behind

is “breached”. Instead, close in the space between you and the attacker by running

backwards at 60% of the full running speed.

2. Don’t dive into sliding tackles

A good defender is a cool, level-headed guy who also makes smart decisions

during defending. Don’t just dive in and tackle the ball from the attacker.

Remember. You are not only defending the attacker, but also defending for the

space behind you. The defensive posture you should take is that you should be

moving on your toes, not just standing FLAT to the ground. Keep your body

angled, keeping in mind the left and right direction which the attacker will

take.

As you back off from an advancing attacker, take note of the ball and the

attacker in front of you, AND also the other attackers beside you or behind

you. That way, you can take note of the positions of the other opposing

players, and anticipate whether the attacker will make the pass or he will

decide to dribble with the ball. Don’t let your concentration break off and

stay focused always.

3. Watch out for MLS Pro Defending Tips

Jed Zaynor of DC United, MLS is featured in OnlineAcademySoccer and

in the video, he shared some tips about defending.

Watch out for his “Head on the Rope” defensive approach.

Most Popular -

2012 Season Opene ...After LA Galaxy's 3 opening matches during the Regular Season 2012, I must say that the Road to Defending ... Disagreement with ...I just read the article from Bleach Report, with a rather Brief Analysis of the performance of David Beckham. ... The Amazing Feats ...Personally, I flipped through the old MLS records of David Beckham, ever since he signed on for LA Galaxy ... The Deadliest Bec ...Mike Magee finished with a right footed shot, scoring the second goal of LA Galaxy's 2-0 victory over Real ... LA Galaxy's Junin ...Right after training ends at Tucson Centre, LA Galaxy's Juninho returned back to his hotel room and took some ...