How to defend against physical play at six years old.
I coach a soccer team of six year olds in a competitive league and, full disclosure, did not grow up playing soccer and have limited experience with the game.
We went 5-1 this year and have qualified for the championship game which is a rematch against the only team we lost to. All year I’ve focused on coaching defense to my kids. Specifically, about approaching the opposing team in a way that puts your body between them and the goal line and working the opposing player towards the touchline. It’s been very successful in all our games with the exception of the team we are playing. They play a **very** physical style with one kid in particular prone to pushing with his upper body to the point of sometimes outright shoving his way past our defenders towards the middle of the goal.
I **did** grow up playing team sports (namely basketball and baseball) and have l leaned on that experience to promote team building and fun, but still I’d like to give the kids their best chance to win because it means a lot to them and they’ve played really hard all year. What is an age appropriate strategy I could go over with the kids to try and counter when the opposing team inevitably physically pushes their way through our defense? Most of what I’ve read is to implement quick passing but that is maybe a bit advanced for most our kids that have just moved on from “swarm” style soccer.
Either way, I’m really proud of my team and they’re going to have a great time!