Shielding
Coach: Renata Lawson
Club: Copper Mountain Soccer Club
Role: Director of Coaching
Qualification: USSF “D” (United States)
Date: February 13, 2020
Duration: 1 hour
Age Group: U5–U18
Session Objective
Develop awareness to better shield and turn away from pressure.
Warm-Up: Shielding Warm-Up (5–7 minutes)
Description
Begin with all players dribbling with a ball, performing:
- Toe taps
- Toe taps in a circle
- Forward and backward toe taps
After several minutes, players partner up with one ball per pair. One player shields the ball for 30 seconds while the partner counts how many times they can touch the ball (without trying to steal it).
Switch roles, then play a second round to see if the shielding player can prevent the defender from beating their previous score.
Coaching Points
- Keep the body between the defender and the ball
- Hold the ball just out of the defender’s reach
- Move the ball side to side, not straight ahead
- Stay low and balanced, feeling for possession while watching the defender
Activity 1: Freeze Tag (15 minutes)
Description
In a 30×30 yard grid, approximately ¼ to ⅓ of the players are taggers without a ball.
- If a tagger touches a player’s ball, that player picks it up, holds it above their head, and freezes with their legs forming a goal
- Other dribblers can unfreeze them by passing the ball through their legs
If all dribblers are frozen within two minutes, the taggers win. Rotate taggers after each round.
Coaching Points
- Encourage players to constantly scan their surroundings
- Move away from pressure
- Keep the ball close and change direction often
- Teach players to shield and turn instead of trying to go straight through defenders
Activity 2: Jurassic Park (15–20 minutes)
Description
One team are the scientists, each with a ball. The other team are the dinosaurs.
- Dinosaurs try to steal the balls and shoot them into the goal
- Once a ball is in the net, it is out of play
- Scientists try to keep possession of the balls as a team
If the scientists can keep at least one ball in play for 3 minutes, they win. Otherwise, the dinosaurs win. Play four rounds, switching roles each time.
Coaching Points
- Constant shoulder checks for pressure and space
- Awareness of teammates for support
- Clear communication
- Shield and turn to find space and maintain possession
Activity 3: Scrimmage (15–20 minutes)
Description
Game.
Coaching Points
- Reinforce shielding and turning away from pressure
- Encourage communication with teammates
- Stay low and balanced while shielding
- Keep the ball out of the defender’s reach