Smothering

Key Objectives

Work with your goalkeeper (s) on smothering the ball at the feet of the attacker

Technical/Coaching Points

• Close down the ball quickly

• Get as low and as big as possible

• Weight forward on balls of feet

• Force the attacker away from the goal

• Decision–Stalk or smother

Organisation

Have the goalkeeper positioned within a set of cones in front of the goal

How to play

Player with the ball has to dribble past the goalkeeper and stop the ball in-between the cones

If the player gets past then a goal is scored

If the goalkeeper saves the ball they get a point

Progression

If your players find this too easy or too difficult, you could progress the game in the following ways:

• Make the goal line bigger