Defensive running lines to

stop the baseline attack

Derek Pappas

Defender behind the ball

carrier

When the defender is behind the right side ball

carrier by 1-2 steps what is the best angle to
choose in order to close down the ball carrier?

This is an important defensive pattern

Good teams such as the Netherlands women or

the German men can run/pass the ball down the
right corner channel and then run the ball along
the baseline and pass back for a shot or get a foot
for a short corner
Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Prioritizing defensive
running lines

Green: high priority: make tackle, mark, or close space down

Yellow: medium priority: cover space, block passing lane
Red: low priority: likely to be bypassed by a ball carrier or a pass

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Recognition and
prioritization

Players in the defense must recognize their next

responsibility to the team defense
Defenders must prioritize their next movement/action in
defense based on stopping the following:
shot
circle penetration
bypass dribble
danger pass (a pass which bypasses the defense or
results in a scoring opportunity)

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Positioning

One national team for 20+ years has talked about getting
bodies in the right position on the field at the right time.

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

You find out that life is just a game of inches.

So is football.
Because in either game
life or football
the margin for error is so small.
I mean
one half step too late or to early
you don't quite make it.
One half second too slow or too fast
and you don't quite catch it.
The inches we need are everywhere around us.
They are in ever break of the game
every minute, every second.
Al Pacino's Inch By Inch speech from Any Given Sunday

The direction the outside

defender runs is important

Running
angle
wrong
ball carrier
bypasses
defender

Running
angle
wrong
ball carrier
given space
by the defender
Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Running
angle
correct
ball carrier
slowly closed
down by the
defender

4
3

2
1

Moving as a team to defend

Close down the ball carrier (player 1)
Second tackler on the ball carrier (player 2 delays to block pass)
Mark the receivers in dangerous positions (players 3, 4, 5)
Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

The direction the outside

defender runs is important
3

3
2

3
1
4

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view actual 1

3

3
2

3
1
4

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view actual 2

3
2

3
2

1
1

3
6

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view actual 3

3
2

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view actual 4

1
6

3
3
3
1

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 1

3

3
2

3
1
4

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 2

3

3
2

3
1
4

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 2

2
3

3
2
3

1
1

4
5

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 3

2
3

3
2

3
1
1

4
5

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 3

2
3

1
3
3

4
5
6

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 4

2
3

1
3
3

4
5
6

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Top view ideal 5

2
3

1
1

2
3
3

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

4
3

2
1

What actually happened

Three defenders went the wrong way.
The result a foot in the circle, PC, and goal.
Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

4
3

2
1

What should have happened

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

NED (orange) has already

turned the corner.
ITA cant stop the hit and will be
in the danger zone if they try to.
ITA is as fast as NED.
ITA (blue) is running the wrong
angle

NED (orange)
goes around the corner.
ITA (blue) could be behind the
yellow circle if they ran a different
line.

NED (orange)
goes around the corner.
Remember ITA (blue) number 3.
That player ran out of the circle
instead of moving to mark Van Ass
so ITA 2 can move to the baseline
and block the ball carrier

3
1

Van
Ass

ITA 2 cant move to the baseline

until ITA 3 arrives to mark Van Ass.
But ITA 3 goes the wrong direction.
And ITA 2 is stuck in no mans land

Make the tackle outside of

the circle

Why give the lane to the defender?

The back pass should be covered by another

defender switching to Van Ass.

Two hands on the stick to facilitate rapidly

changing the tackling grip

get down to the baseline BEFORE the ball carrier

and block their path like the AUS/GER defenders
Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Use two hands.

Change the
tackling grip
quickly

Use the correct tackling grip

on the baseline

Once the ball is inside of the circle the defender

has to protect their feet and stop the ball carrier

Dont let the ball carrier into the circle

Derek E. Pappas Copyright 2015

Why is the stick

facing up?