Universal Defensive Concepts

Who Is This Course For?

  • Professional Coaches
  • Youth Academy Coaches
  • Academy Managers
  • Heads of Methodology
  • Player Development Coaches

Why Choose this Course?

In the Universal Defensive Concepts course, you will learn the most relevant defensive concepts in soccer from both a theoretical and practical perspective. This will help you understand these concepts and their application in both professional and grassroots soccer, allowing you to start implementing them with your players and your team.

Each concept is explained and developed following this structure:

  • Concept explanation and key information.
  • Applicable positions.
  • Coaching points for you and your players when applying the concept in the game.
  • Most common mistakes and how to correct them.
  • Related concepts.

All of this is supported with real game examples that will help you understand the concepts and teach them to your players, creating a strong impact on their performance and helping them improve immediately, both individually and collectively.

Course Curriculum

  • Introduction(6:32)
  • Chapter 1: Press the Ball(16:06)
  • Chapter 2: Individual Marking(11:35)
  • Chapter 3: Lateral Body Profile(10:53)
  • Chapter 4: Fast - Stop - Return(14:04)
  • Chapter 5: Intercept to Pass(13:49)
  • Chapter 6: 360 Perception(10:47)

What you’ll Learn:

  • Clear explanation of each defensive concept and the key information you need.
  • Position-specific applications to know where and how to implement each concept.
  • Coaching points that guide you and your players in applying the concept effectively.
  • Common mistakes and how to fix them, ensuring efficient learning and execution.
  • Related concepts to connect ideas and create a complete understanding of the game.
  • Teach concepts that create immediate impact on your team’s defensive play.
  • Develop your players individually and collectively to improve performance on the field.
  • Empower your players with the knowledge and confidence to excel in defensive plays, making your team more compact and strong.
  • Take your coaching to the next level with a deeper understanding of the defensive game.
  • Competitive Advantage: Stand out with advanced defensive strategies that bring success on the field.
  • Lasting Impact: Shape your legacy as a coach who develops intelligent and effective teams in the defensive shape.

TESTIMONIALS

"APFC offers elite content for coaches on Positional Play and game understanding. Highly recommended courses and content for all levels."

Lluis Cortés

Former FC Barcelona Women’s Coach and Saudi Arabia women’s National Team

“APFC has a huge capacity and a big experience with the formation and development of football players.”

Carles Planchart

Manchester City First Team Performance Analysis Coach

“The content in the APFC Next course is valuable for any coach looking to elevate their understanding on how to build a game model and how positional play is effectively used.”

Fabrice Gautrat

Head Coach of Houston Dash NWSL

“Each APFC course offers insightful content for coaches for all levels looking to grow their knowledge of positional playing style and improve their team’s overall performance.” “Through their detailed modules which include videos, diagrams and interviews, coaches will gain valuable understanding to ensure long term development.”

Emma Thomson

Assistant Coach NC Courage NWSL

“APFC delivers individual player concepts and team development principles in a simplified, logical, and highly effective way. Their courses are easy to follow yet rich in knowledge, insight, and clarity. APFC has significantly improved my understanding of what to coach and how to deliver the methodology for real success in both player and team development.”

Kenneth Thompson

KTECH Head Coach & Bermuda National Team

“I learned a lot about Positional Play from the fundamentals to the different concepts. I take courses from APFC and they are pioneers in how they teach the topic. Highly recommended.”

Yosi Raz

Head Coach of UC Irvine Men’s Soccer Program

“The coaches asked to bring APFC for the second time to present the hosted coaching course. It was a helpful and well received course.”

Ryan Rich

National Capital Soccer League Executive Director

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