Flat Four Against Five
Four defenders holding a line against five attackers trying to break into an end zone.
The first defending session of the season, and deliberately about shape rather than tackling. A flat four is genuinely learnable at this age, and most volunteer coaches have never been given the words for it.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
30 min in the practice phase · Five attackers against four defenders, repeated per group
- Ages 11–13
- Five attackers against four defenders, repeated per group
- 30 min in the practice phase
- Cones, three mini goals per field, pinnies, balls
Grab Cones, three mini goals per field, pinnies, balls.
Build Mark a 24-by-44-yard field with an end zone at one end and three mini goals at the other.
Place Five attackers with the ball; four defenders in a flat line across the field.
A short field with a marked end zone at one end and three small goals at the other, four defenders in a line between.
- 1
Organize the players
Mark the field, put four defenders in a line, five attackers with the ball facing them.
“You four are a line. You stay a line. Five of them are trying to get behind you.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk it once. Whoever is closest steps to the ball; the other three drop diagonally behind them so there is cover, not a gap.
“Closest one goes. Everyone else drops back on an angle to cover.”
- 3
Play
Run continuously. Ask the page's own question at a break — what happens when the ball moves across?
“Stay compact, move with the ball, attack the ball.”
Look for The line moving TOGETHER when the ball switches — and the new closest defender stepping without being told.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Swap attackers and defenders so everyone gets the line.
“Switch. Everybody plays in the four.”
Too hard? Play 4 v 4 and make the defenders find a target player to score — the source's own easier version. Too easy? Widen the field to 60 yards and make them cover it.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
A flat four is a rule, not a talent: closest presses, the rest cover diagonally, the line moves with the ball. Four defenders with a rule beat five attackers without one.
What they learn
Defending is a shape before it is a tackle. The line moves together or it is not a line.
What's next
Turning the shape into movement — moving as the ball moves.
Where does this come from?
US Soccer and Massachusetts Youth Soccer — their published nine-a-side session plans for U13 and up.
A governing body published this — the same organization that writes the rules your league plays by.