In ladies football the tackle is won with feet, angles and timing — not the shoulder — so tonight we make defenders who love the 1v1 instead of dreading it.
Own Your Channel
- Ladies football
- U14
- 70 min
- 14–22 girls
- 2 coaches
- Effort 4/5
- Half pitch
- u14
- defending
- tackling
- 1v1
- footwork
Kit: 8 footballs (size 4), 30 cones, 16 bibs (2 colours)
Mirror Alley
Setup: Lanes of two cones 10m apart, a pair per lane, facing each other across a middle line of cones. No balls yet.
How it works: The leader shuffles side to side along her line — quick, sharp, changing direction whenever she likes. Her partner mirrors her from a metre away, staying low and side-on. On the whistle, the leader sprints for either end cone and the mirror races to beat her there. Thirty seconds of mirroring, break, swap roles. After three rounds each, add a ball in the leader's hands so the mirror is now tracking a carrier. Sprinkle in dynamic stretching between rounds — hips, groin, calves — while pairs reset.
What to say
- “Low hips, wide feet — sit into it like a chair.”
- “Side-on, never square — square gets beaten both ways.”
- “Watch her belly button, not the ball — hips don't lie.”
Easier
Slow the mirror to walking pace; sprint to a cone only every second round.
Harder
Mirror goes backwards up the lane while the leader advances; sprint race starts from the ground.
Channel 1v1
Setup: Channels 15m long and 8m wide, marked with cones. One attacker with a ball at one end, one defender starting on the middle line. Three or four channels running at once so nobody queues more than one turn.
How it works: Attacker tries to carry the ball over the defender's end line under control. Defender's job, in order: slow her down, steer her to the sideline, and win the ball only when it's on show — a bounce, a solo, a fumble. No pulling, no pushing, no deliberate body contact; that's the ladies game, and it makes better defenders. Defender scores by forcing the attacker over the sideline, holding her up for a five-count called aloud, or winning a clean turnover. Swap roles every rep, rotate opponents every three reps so everyone defends someone new.
What to say
- “First job is delay — you don't have to win it this second.”
- “Show her the line — make the pitch small for her.”
- “Strike when the ball leaves her hands, not while she holds it.”
Easier
Widen the channel and let defenders start goal-side with a two-metre cushion; attacker walks the first rep.
Harder
STEPR: narrow the channel to 5m, attacker gets a flying start, defender must recover from a ground start behind the line.
Delay, Deny, Double
Setup: Widen two channels into a 20×15m box with a two-cone gate goal at one end. 2v2: two attackers building from the far end, two defenders protecting the gate.
How it works: Attackers score by carrying or fist-passing through the gate. First defender presses the ball exactly as in the channel — delay, steer wide. Second defender is the brains: she covers the space behind her partner, cuts the pass, and calls the picture — LEFT, RIGHT, DROP. When the ball carrier turns her back or fumbles, the call is NOW and both defenders close in on the ball. Play 90-second rounds, defenders out attackers in, keep score of clean turnovers versus gates scored.
What to say
- “One presses, one covers — never two on the ball early.”
- “Cover defender talks non-stop; she can see everything.”
- “When she turns her back — NOW, both of you.”
Easier
Attackers limited to three solos each; defenders start goal-side of both attackers.
Harder
STEPR: add a third attacker joining late from the end line so defenders must delay 2v3 until help arrives from the previous pair.
The Turnover Game
Setup: A 45×30m pitch, two gate goals at each end (four total), teams of 5–7 in bibs. Coaches referee tightly — the conditions are the coaching.
How it works: Normal ladies rules small-sided game with turnover scoring: a score through a gate is 1 point, but a clean defensive win — an interception, a block, or stripping a loose ball with no contact — is 2, counted the moment it happens. Any pull, push or slap at a held ball concedes a free taken quickly from the hands, ladies-style, so fouling costs you twice: the free and the momentum. Every three minutes freeze the game and ask the nearest defender the three questions: who presses, who covers, where are we steering her.
What to say
- “Turnovers are worth more than scores tonight — hunt them.”
- “Feet first, hands last.”
- “After we win it, first pass forward if it's on.”
Easier
One gate per end; attackers must solo before scoring so defenders get a strike moment.
Harder
STEPR: three-second limit on the ball; a team scoring off a turnover within ten seconds gets 3.
Defenders' Debrief
Setup: Two widths at a walk, then a circle. Bibs collected as they walk.
How it works: Stretch groin, hamstrings, hips and calves — 20 seconds each side, defenders' legs did the twisting tonight. Then the debrief question around the circle, short answers only.
What to say
- “Long easy stretch on the groin — no forcing it.”
- “Shake the legs out between stretches.”
- “One answer each, loud enough for the circle.”
Ask the players: Think of the moment you knew you had your attacker beaten — what did your feet do just before it? Every second girl answers tonight, the rest answer next week.
PitchPlans coaching team
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