Be a Team Player

One of the areas that has always been challenging for me as a coach, as it pertains to defense, is teaching players the flat-back four defense.  Now, I'm not one of those coaches that stays with one formation for every team that I coach.  The formation that my teams play are based on the players that are on the team and what works best for their qualities.

However, back to my original point, the flat-back four defense, has alway been an interesting area to coach. Interesting and often challenging. 

Obviously, the older players catch on much more quickly than the younger ones. But, there are still challenges at all levels; especially if the players have never played that style of defense before. 

Why is it so challenging? 

In my opinion, teaching the spacing and the movement of the flat-back four is the challenging part. Defensive minded players always want to go for the ball. They love the thrill of the chase. Then when you attempt to teach them spacing, movement and responsibilities, it gets difficult. 

Difficult because young soccer players don't understand space and distance. 

The Flat Back 4 Pro, a bungee training set, has really helped me coach this style of defense. By using this tool, my players have the opporunity to see the space and distance. It is really fun to watch the young players as they realize how simple it is. It is really fun to see "the lights come on" as they understand what is being asked of them. 

The other great thing with the Flat Back 4 Pro is that the product can also be used as a resistance strength training set, an "over speed" training set, a goal keeper resistance band set and a zonal defending set. 

The system includes four waist belts and three 10-meter bungee bands. So, I have also used it when training teams with a three-back system as well. 

The Flat Back 4 Pro is a great tool that makes coaching a difficult task, really simple.