How to Maintain control of the ball as a defender with nobody open

by Billy
(Providence , Rhode Island US)

This is an extreme problem especially in pickup games/6 on 6. In the city, kids play any position and are usually technically dominate but defensively over reactive.

When you are playing these games, it is more than important to not find what position you like, but which one you are superior at. I for example, play right back, because I am good at marking and defensively win balls from strikers.

But out on the sides of the field like me, you may steal a ball from one forward and have another come at you full speed. What you need to keep in mind is that forwards aren't trained to do what you do.

If they make a bad foot placement when you feint left or right, capitalizing on it is important and hard to do because generally a striker is faster than a defender.

Getting off the sidelines is key when facing a forward getting out of there means you can pass the ball quickly and can start a counter attack, sometimes resulting in a goal.

But, as you usually hear, doing these things masterfully takes years. I am not joking when I say that to become a good soccer player, requires countless hours of hard work.

So, a good way to practice on these key attributes of defending while by yourself is having a ball and a flat wall. Passing to the wall is like passing to a teammate, except the wall is usually bigger. To pass quickly is another greatly needed attribute in soccer, especially under pressure.