help me with positional play!!!

[OldTrout]

Hi all, i'm a noob to this forum, and hopefully someone can help me out. I was just asked to play in a men's recreational league and I'm playing defender. Can someone give me some advice as to what my positional play should be and also hints about what I should be doing?

[thegeneral]

Your sweeper (backmost middle defender) should be able to help you out on this. He should really be the captain of the defenders and should be able to tell you where to go in your position. Make sure to go no farther back than he does as it will let the other team drift back past most of your D line without being offsides.

[OldTrout]

Thanks so much for the tip- i'm trying to get a small sense of positional play before I hit the pitch. I don't want to look clueless when I show up. Perhaps you could help me with a couple of other questions:
how far forward should I go without getting caught?
how far to the middle should I stray?
when I obtain possession of the ball who (or what) should I be looking for to move the ball?
when do I jockey and when do I commit?

[thegeneral]

I'm not exactly a pro here so take my advice with a grain of salt. A good rule of thumb is if someone is guarding you pass it and if nobody is around you move the ball up. Be wary of passing the ball into the middle when playing defense. It can easily be picked off. Make sure you know what your other players will be saying in terms of when they're open. That will help you know when you use the ball. Personally, if nobody comes near me I'm running up the whole pitch. Your mid-fielders can cover for you.

From a beginner, the best advice I can give you is to trap the ball when it comes to you, relax, think and then take action. Most new people just boot the ball when it comes near. Tell whoever back there is taking charge to tell you what they need. Also, listen to your team. A good team will tell you what is going on. At first, it is hard to do anything and look up and see what's going on around you. If your team is telling you that you have time, then relax and take your time. If they're screaming man on you have to move faster.

I'm sure the more experienced players here will have more advanced advice, but just relax, keep your spacing and you'll be fine. If you're worried that you're out of place, you probably are.

[ranova]

Your sweeper (backmost middle defender) should be able to help you out on this.

That is the best advice. Ask one of the experienced players if you don't have a coach. We don't even know what system of play your team uses (they might not even use a sweeper, although its almost universal for rec teams). If you don't understand something, just ask. You are going to make mistakes. Everyone does. Don't worry about them. Just jump back on the horse that threw you and start riding. You will be surprised at how fast you improve. Have fun!

[OldTrout]

hey- thanks so much for the advice. another couple of questions:
if playing defender on one side...
if i am chasing a guy who is going to the net on my side, should i tackle or just clear the ball out the side?
-and- can I assume you must always try to tackle in front of the opposing player and not behind, with the assumption as long as you get the ball (or intend to) you are making a legal tackle?
-it's important to be side on to the player and not chase him head on, right?
-wait until the player makes a move before you rush to take him?
i grew up playing ice hockey where taking the man and forcing the play is essential, but i guess this is not always the case in soccer...
thanx again!

[thegeneral]

Much of the concepts of defense seem universal to me. You can't commit too early. In terms of tackling, you should probably get some instruction on that and verify that your league allows it. You can very easily hurt someone. Remember, if you miss a tackle, you're on the ground and the attacker is moving towards the net.

[rca2]

hey- thanks so much for the advice. another couple of questions:
if playing defender on one side...
[1]if i am chasing a guy who is going to the net on my side, should i tackle or just clear the ball out the side?
-and-[2] can I assume you must always try to tackle in front of the opposing player and not behind, with the assumption as long as you get the ball (or intend to) you are making a legal tackle?
-[3]it's important to be side on to the player and not chase him head on, right?
-[4]wait until the player makes a move before you rush to take him?
i grew up playing ice hockey where taking the man and forcing the play is essential, but i guess this is not always the case in soccer...
thanx again!

[1] Chasing means you are behind him, which is out of position and beaten. You should be between the goal and the attacker. Like a defender in hockey trying to stay in front of the attacker to prevent a shot. If you are beaten normally someone covering you (such as the sweeper) will take your man and you recover toward the goal until you get behind the ball and can take up a postion in the defense either marking the most dangerous unmarked attacker or providing cover if every attacker has a marker already. Only if you are the last defender (have no cover behind you) do you try to chase the man down. There are plenty of different variations, so its important to understand what your team expects you to do. So you need to ask them.

[2] You should probably read up on the rules. There are different types of tackles including a shoulder charge. Mostly what you will be doing is what i call shadowing. Like in basketball. Getting between the attacker and the goal and staying there. In soccer though you cannot obstruct another player's movement unless you are in playing distance of the ball. That means you can't "box out" an opponent to keep him out of the goal area. You have to move with the attacker in order to stay goal side of him. Basically if you play the ball you will be okay. The ref may call a foul if he thinks what a player did was dangerous even if there was no contact at all. You should know the rules, particularly the off-sides rule which is important to team tactics on offense and defense. Explanations of the rules are available on the web.

[3] You want to be in front of him so that you are between him and the goal. The exception is if the attacker is going to be in an off-side position. Then you don't want to be along side or infront of him because then you will keep him onside. If an attacker is in an off-side position, he cannot legally recieve the ball or be otherwise involved in play. He is effectively out of the play.

I am really not sure what you are saying. If I am dribbling toward you and you are standing sideways to my direction of movement, I will simply cut to your rear you so that you have to turn 180 degrees. Much of dribbling involves catching the defender on the wrong foot and then moving.

[4] There is no checking like in hockey. In hockey you can play the man, not in soccer. The defender on the ball, particularly if he is the last defender has to play conserveatively. The most important defensive principle is immediate pressure on the ball to slow down the attack so that the defense can be organized. The person on the ball more often than not does not tackle the ball. He marks the attacker and applies pressure in terms of using his body to block a clear shot on the goal and prevent rapid forward progress. If you have no cover, you normally do not attempt to tackle. You do not leave your feet. The exception is if the attacker is right on top of the goal, then you attempt to tackle because the keeper is your cover. The idea is that you can only retreat so far and then there is no more space to give up. That final line is ususally somewhere in or near the penalty area.

Usually a team will want you to force the man with the ball to the outside, denying him the middle. But not always. I played on one team where the plan was to force the ball to the center. The two center backs were that confident.

Usually in the back line your choice is whether or not to try to intercept the incoming pass (and clear it up field or out of bounds) before it gets to your man. If you decide not to try to intercept, then you are just staying between him and the goal trying stay in position to block any cross or shot. You aren't expected to block every cross and shot. You are expected to be putting pressure on the attacker so that his crosses and shots have a lower chance of success.