WHAT I’VE LEARNT SO FAR ABOUT DEFENDING

For those who already know me, you are already aware that I’ve started playing football at a very young age and started playing as a Central Midfielder (box-to-box) before being moved in defense as a Left-Back / Left-Midfielder due to a lack of left-footed players in the team and being fast (which I believe is one of my strengths).

[endif]--What I’ve learnt so far from a defensive point of view, is how to defend first before attacking. What I mean is, being aware of the threats and getting yourself mentally and physically ready for any attack coming from your opponents and knowing where they are possibly coming from (reading the game), that is where positioning comes into place because as a defender you must be aware of the defensive line, the gap between yourself and the other defenders as well as the midfielders but also being aware of the goalkeeper. You’re probably thinking ‘what about the opponents attacking threat?’ well that comes when you’ve assessed the situation as you will know how to handle the situation with the other defenders.

[endif]--There are techniques which I’ve learnt over the years from good coaches, watching matches live and watching videos on YouTube. One of the techniques I learnt from Patrick Walker; was how to avoid getting beat by a long ball over the top of the defence. To avoid the ball going over, you must make sure the whole defensive line drops a yard in sync as soon as the ball is hit long by the opponents. This gives you time to assess where the ball might drop, attack the ball, block angles and cover spaces.

The same technique works well when it comes to long throws but that can be slightly different. When it comes to a throw, you must make sure you are tight to your opponent but not too tight for him or her to hold you. You must use your elbow to have a slight distance so that you’re not held, this also allows you to put the opponent off balance, but it must importantly it gives you a chance to drop off in case the ball goes over the opponent’s head or gives you a chance to get in front of your opponent and win the ball with ease. This works well against tall and short opponents. (You can see examples on my Instagram page @Mkayij). I learnt this technique through Anders Giske who always gives good advice. You can follow him on Linkedin or his website if you want to improve your defensive techniques. If not, there’s always YouTube.

Merveille Kayij ![endif]--![endif]--