mark or cover?

Good question.

First part:

Cover is simply done in the expectation of having to mark. If you've taken a USSF course (or read a book on coaching printed in the last 20 years) you'll want to review the ideas of being first or second defender. Where the first defender is pressuring the ball and preventing penetration of the dribbler, and the second defender is providing cover. If the first defender is beaten, the covering defender now becomes the first defender as he steps up to pressure, and the former first defender drops back to provide cover.

There are a number of easy ways to work on this concept. Some 1v2 is useful as is 3v2. Use 1v2 to explain the concept as the first defender gets beaten and the second steps up. Then move to 3v2 to make it more game realistic.

I work this every practice with my teams of all levels by doing 2v2 to multiple goals. The number of opportunities for attackers to play combinations and the defenders to sort out first and second defender roles is tremendous and really helps tremendously.

 

I know to a degree it probably is just semantics, but your system of play really determines if you have true marking backs whose primary responsibility is to "mark" a player out of a game.

This is, of course, opposed to the zonal systems of defense that many teams now use. In that case, you are relying on your players to make those defend-or-cover decisions as the play develops.

In either system you still have to make these first defender, second defender decisions, but often a good marking back will do his or her best work by denying the opportunity to receive the ball to the offensive player.

As far as drills go, one I've seen used and used occasionally is to have three lines. Line 1/player A=offense, line 2/player B=defender 1, line 3/player C=defender 2 or cover defender.

Serve the ball to player A, who begins to dribble toward a cone (or two cones forming a small goal). Player B defends player A; as soon as player B engages player A, player C comes in to provide cover.

If player B gets beat, player C becomes the primary defender and player B recovers into a cover defender position.

The primary skill you are working is 1 v 1 defending with cover. Secondary skills include communication (C must tell B where he or she is), defensive spacing, containment.

A variation I've seen is to add an offensive and then defensive player once the play begins. If you add players, you can offer a counter-attack option to defensive players to force offensive players to switch to defense.

As always, make sure your lines aren't too long so players aren't standing around.

Another thing is to watch for the good and bad defending decisions during short-sided games and scrimmages. Here the advantage is that you are simulating a game situation.

Finally, this past season when I was working with some players who were new to a zone defense, I had them begin an offense/defense "scrimmage" at 1/3 speed. This was more for defensive rotations, but I think you could use it for when to provide cover also.

jgw

 

Not to muddy things up, but...

My first question to your first post was, "What age group are you discussing?" Obviously you just answered that - U11's.

Without going into the pure definitions of 1st Defender, 2nd Defender, 3rd Defender, the problem that is not being addressed here is that most non-1st Defenders need to both mark and provide cover. They need to be in a goal side position to their mark such that they can apply immediate pressure to that player should he/she become the 1st Attacker (by pass or second ball or whatever), and also in a position to become the 1st Defender should the current 1st Defender get beaten on the dribble. Also, a 1st Defender who gets beaten needs to learn to make a recovery run. Additionally, I think you need to incorporate a quick transition - ie speed of thought - into your training.

A U11 player is definitely ready to understand that his/her role will change frequently. A very simple drill is a grid playing 4 v 2. At U11 you will want to make the grid no smaller than 12 yards x 12 yards, and 15 yards x 15 yards is probably best. Place an attacker on each line and 2 defenders in the middle. The attackers score a point every time they split the defenders. The defenders score 2pts for winning the ball. The defenders may not exit the grid. Attackers may not enter the grid. The defenders must alternate 1st defender at each pass, with the other player making a run behind to support. Include communication in the drill with whatever your team's call is for stopping the ball (e.g. "I've got ball," or, "Joey has ball.") Play for 2 minute increments with a brief rest while changing the defenders. This gives (roughly) a 3:1 work ratio for the middle players since being an attacker requires little movement. You can increase the difficulty for the attacking team by limiting touches and/or requiring the ball to stay moving. By the way, as an attacking drill this is excellent to teach a team to keep the ball moving.

You can follow this up with small-sided possession games such as 4 v 4 v 4 with 2 colors joining attack and the color that loses possession becoming the defender immediately. Point is scored on a certain number of consecutive passes or everyone touching the ball on a possession or a wall pass around a defender or whatever. You can limit touches to 2 or 3 due to the numbers. Also, the grid needs to be large, and you can also make it long and narrow to try to teach other principles, such as changing the point of attack. I would suggest that any small-sided drills give the attacking team a numerical advantage or you will not be teaching players to change roles very often.

Hope this is helpful. Good luck.

 

I think some are getting terms mixed up.

You have this group of terms

Pressure and cover players.

The Pressure player is the first defender as in he is the defender that is closest to the dribbler. He pressures the player with the ball.

A marking player could be the first defender or he could be someone who marks a dangerous player when the opponent has the ball. So the dangerous player can be marked even if he does not have the ball.

The marking player is used when you want a good matchup with their attacker one v one. The attacker is quick and small your marker would be quick and small. The marked player does not have to be the dribbler so he would not be the first defender in this situation.

-------------------
The cover player is the second defender. He supports the first defender so he might not support the marker unless the marker has the ball.

------------------------

When you mark a player or play man to man defense switching with the 2nd defender the cover players is very important. When do you switch? If the dribbler is closer to another player, then that player the marker will switch with that closer player.

If the marker is beat with the ball or without the ball then you would switch with a defender that is in a better defensive position then the marker.
------------------

"How do you

1. Explain to kids when to mark and when to provide cover; and"

Again the player closest to the dribbler is the first defender the pressure player.

The cover player is the second defender who supports the first defender.
------------------------------------------
2. Set up drills so they get experience making this kind of decision in live action?

Closest player to the dribbler takes the dribbler pressure the dribbler. He closes space between him and the dribbler. He does not dive in on the tackle. He closes distance to about two yards of the dribbler.

Then he gets into a tackling position a side ways position. He does not go for the tackle if the dribbler has close control of the ball, and he does not go for a tackle without the second defender the cover player his support player. What he does is put himself between the dribbler and the goal.

Then when the dribbler does not have close control he goes for the tackle.

If he should miss because the dribbler pushed the ball past him. Then a well positioned 2n defender the cover player should be able to beat the dribbler to the ball.

If the dribbler beat the first defender off the dribble the support defender the cover player becomes the first defender. The beat first defender immediately falls back and now he becomes the cover player or one of the other staggered defender the balance players.

That is called switiching. You can make grids and have the cover player in the second grid.

The dribbler and first defender are in the first grid. Have the first defender play passive so the dribbler can beat him. Right after the first defender retreats to the third grid and now he becomes the 2nd defender the cover player.

The original cover player picked up the dribbler so now he is the pressure player the first defender.

Just have both defenders keep switching positions with each other for another 6 or 8 grids.

----------

Also have your all your defenders work on the stand up block tackle. That is also a skill to be learned because all of them will be a first defender at some point in time and space.

Richie

 

A good old book.

In 1970, Alan Wade, then director of coaching for The Football Association, published a neat little book titled " Coach Yourself Soccer ". It's a bit dated, but there are many nuggets of sage advice and thought provoking insight.

For example. Under marking, he says that to be properly positioned there are three rules:
1. always be between your opponent and your goal. ( goalside )
2. be in a position where you are able to see your opponent and the ball at the same time without turning.
3. be near enough to your opponent so that if the ball is passed you will be able to arrive at the same time he tries to control or play it.

There are a ton of things that you can discuss with your team, both defensively and offensively, within these rules. For example, it is a good idea for forwards to move into positions where it is difficult for their defender to watch their mark and the ball. Or, the further they are from the ball, the more defenders can cheat their mark into coverage. Defenders want their tackle to arrive with the ball. If they are early, they will foul; and if they are late they will be juked.

These are good topics for warm up and cool down discussion.

Wade has the best remark about ball watching that I've ever seen. He writes: " Ball watchers are irresponsible and bad players because they do not appreciate their duties towards other defenders. Good defense is a matter of a group of players depending upon each other. The defender who plays on his own and for himself is a poor footballer. " This quote alone justifies the price of the book.

The rules for coverage are predicated upon the rules for marking. As someone pointed out, most defenders must cover whilst also marking. I'm not going to write out the discussion you need to have, but the preceding should allow you to develop it for yourself.

Despite player and tactical changes, our sport's philosophy has really not changed much since England last won the WC. I've not read Wade's book in some time, but I enjoyed it. Good luck with your team.