The thrill of soccer is always about getting that chance to score a goal. However, before you can do that, you need to get the ball back for an offensive setup. Today, soccer enthusiast Alexander Sabadash shares some suggestions on how you can become a better defender.
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Image source: wsj.com |
There’s a huge advantage that comes in overplaying your opponent in soccer. This means that you get ahead of your opponent as he receives the ball. Of course, this isn’t easy to do, because you’ll have your hands full just trying to contain your opponent. However, if you are able to read your man’s move, you can time your attempts to intercept the ball, or at least make it harder for your man to get to it.
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Image source: abcnews.com |
This second point is very much related to the previous one, notes Alexander Sabadash. Anticipation can also be understood as the precise reaction to and preparation for a likely outcome. If you are able to read the offense from a very early stage, you’re looking at the bigger picture already, which is great. When your opponent flexes their attack stance, you can communicate to your teammates what they need to do in order to be ready for the offense, or to break the offense altogether.
3. Blocking the lane
During the game, you can expect the ball to be passed by your opponent to one of his teammates. For sure, it will be passed around multiple times. This is your opportunity to give them a challenge by blocking the passing lanes. If what you succeed in doing is make the passer think twice with your presence impeding the potential pass, then you have influenced the game tremendously, Alexander Sabadash shares.
