Basic Football Tactics
Primary 6 · Physical Education
Basic Football Tactics
4 lessons
Lesson 4 of 4
Playing a Game by Following Instructions
20 min
Let's begin
Before the match, the teacher gathers P6 in a circle. "Habimana and Mutesi, you are our defenders: stay between the ball and our goal. Keza, keep wide on the left. Mugisha, you are our forward. And when we lose the ball, everybody defends!"
A team that follows a plan beats a team where everybody chases the ball. Today you will learn a team shape, the jobs of attackers and defenders, and how to play a game by following instructions.
Warm up: the shape game
Jog around the pitch in your team. When the teacher calls "Attack!", everyone spreads out as wide and as long as they can. When the teacher calls "Defend!", everyone runs back towards your own goal and closes up. Then do leg swings and short sprints.
Positions and formations
A football team has a goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders and forwards. A formation says how many players are in each line, counting from the back and leaving out the goalkeeper. In a full 11-a-side game, "4-4-2" means 4 defenders, 4 midfielders and 2 forwards. In a 7-a-side school game, you could play "2-3-1": 2 defenders, 3 midfielders and 1 forward. The coach (at school, your teacher) chooses the formation.
Your position tells you where to be, but it does not mean you only do one job. Everybody attacks, and everybody defends.
When your team has the ball: make the pitch big
- Width: spread out and use both sides of the pitch.
- Depth: have someone ahead of the ball and someone behind it, so the player with the ball can pass forwards or backwards.
- Support: move to where your teammate can see you and pass to you. Then pass and move, as you learned in the last lesson.
When they have the ball: make the pitch small
- Get goal-side: run back so you are between the ball and your own goal.
- Close up: stay close together, so there are no big gaps for the other team to pass through.
- Mark: in man-to-man marking, each defender follows one opponent wherever they go. In zone marking, each defender guards an area of the pitch. Your teacher will tell you which to use.
The first defender is the player nearest the ball. Do not dive in with a wild tackle: if you miss, the attacker is past you. Stay on your feet a few steps away, slow the attacker down and push them towards the side. The second defender covers a few metres behind, ready to help.
Changing from attack to defence
The moment your team loses the ball, everyone becomes a defender. The moment you win it, everyone becomes an attacker. A team that switches fast can make a counter-attack: a quick attack while the other team is still out of position.
Following instructions
- Listen to the plan before the game, and ask if you do not understand your job.
- Talk on the pitch with short, clear calls: "Man on!" (a defender is behind you), "Time!" (you have time, no defender is near), "Switch!" (pass to the other side), "Mine!" (I will take this ball).
- Keep your position even when the ball is far away. If everyone runs to the ball, nobody is left in the spaces.
- Take turns: in class, everyone should try every position, including goalkeeper.
Small-sided game with instructions
Play 7 against 7 (or smaller) in your "2-3-1" shape. Your teacher adds one instruction at a time, for example:
- Every player on your team must touch the ball before a goal counts.
- Defenders may not cross the halfway line.
- When you lose the ball, all 7 players must be back in your own half within 5 seconds.
After each game, talk in your team: did we follow the plan? What will we change?
Fair play and cool down
Shake hands before and after the game, accept the referee's decisions, and help up anyone who falls. Then walk, stretch your legs, drink clean water, and wash your hands and face with soap.
Warning
Stay safe
- Tackle only from the front or the side, never from behind, and stay on your feet.
- Goalkeepers: dive only on soft, flat ground with no stones.
- Drink water at half-time, and rest in the shade if you feel very hot or dizzy.
Tip
Ball won: make it BIG. Ball lost: make it SMALL
With the ball, spread wide and long. Without it, get goal-side and close up. And whatever happens, keep talking to your team.
✦
Try it yourself
Try each one first, then tap Show answer to check.
1
What does the formation "2-3-1" mean in a 7-a-side game?
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Answer: 2 defenders, 3 midfielders and 1 forward, plus the goalkeeper.
2
Your team has just won the ball. Should you move closer together or spread out?
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Answer: Spread out, using both sides of the pitch (width) and making room ahead of and behind the ball (depth).
3
What does "goal-side" mean?
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Answer: Standing between the ball (or the attacker) and your own goal.
4
You are the first defender. Why should you not dive in with a wild tackle?
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Answer: If you miss, the attacker is past you. It is better to stay on your feet, slow them down and push them to the side.
5
A teammate shouts "Man on!" as you receive the ball. What does it mean?
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Answer: A player from the other team is right behind you, so you need to protect the ball or pass quickly.
What you learned today
- A formation counts defenders, midfielders and forwards from the back. Everybody attacks and everybody defends.
- With the ball, make the pitch big: width, depth and support. Without it, make it small: goal-side, close up and mark.
- The first defender slows the attacker down; the second defender covers about 6 metres behind. Listen to the plan and keep talking.
Sources and credits
- Formation (association football), by Wikipedia contributors, English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Facts (formations counted from the back, not including the goalkeeper; the example of 4-4-2; the coach choosing the formation; and different shapes for attacking and defending) adapted and simplified by Ganzaa.
- Association football tactics, by Wikipedia contributors, English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Tactics (width and depth, the first and second defender with about 6 metres between them, zone and man-to-man marking, and the counter-attack) adapted and simplified by Ganzaa.
- Goalkeeper (association football), by Wikipedia contributors, English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The rule that goalkeepers wear a different colour from the other players adapted and simplified by Ganzaa.
- The Winners Football academy (photo), by IGANZE, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 1.0 (public domain), used unchanged.
- Skill steps, games, drills, diagrams, "Try it yourself" and the practice questions written by Ganzaa.
This lesson adapts CC BY-SA material and is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.