with Butch Lauffer,
West Texas A&M University Head Soccer Coach;
over 500 career wins;
3x Lone Star Conference Champions;
Finished 2018 season with a 17-3-3 overall record (best in program history);
2018 United Soccer Coaches South Central Coaching Staff of the Year;
2x NCAA Midwest Region Coach of the Year (2001, 2009);
USSF 'A' license, Grade 1 coaching license (Irish Football Association), Class 'A' License (United European Football Assoc.), UEFA pro license (Scottish Football Association);
2008 Trinidad and Tobago Under-17 Women's National Team Assistant Coach
and James Crowder,
West Texas A&M University Associate Head Coach;
2018 United Soccer Coaches South Central Coaching Staff of the Year;
former Goalkeeping Director of the Lonestar Soccer Club;
USSF 'B' License, NSCAA Premier Diploma, NSCAA Advanced National Diploma, NSCAA Advanced National Goalkeeping Diploma
All coaches need to review solid fundamentals to build their teams into champions. The old adage, 'Defense wins Championships,' holds true more often than not, and Butch Lauffer, the head soccer coach at West Texas A&M University, demonstrates solid defensive techniques in this action-packed, fully loaded instructional video that’s chock-full of valuable drills and solid coaching information.
6v6v6 Drill, 1v1 Drill and 2v2 Drill
Rather than start with the standard drill progression, Lauffer lights the fuse and begins the action with a 6v6v6 Drill – which is used as a quick game to warm up the players and get them involved with lots of touches.
Defending in 1-on-1 situations is the foundation of team defending and the key building block for defensive success. As Lauffer transitions into the 1v1 drill segment, he offers an explanation for how defenders must position themselves when playing 1-on-1 defense, with an emphasis given to body placement on the inside foot and forcing the head down.
Lauffer explains that working with a teammate in 2-on-2 situations is another key aspect for building a team defense that’s tough to beat. To help demonstrate effective ways to to improve on 2-on-2 defensive principles, a 2v2 drill is rolled. In this drill, there is good insight on teaching defenders how and where to cover and using the sideline as an extra defender.
3v3 Drill and 4v4 Drills
Understanding the principles of pressure, coverage and balance are an important part of planning and organizing team defense. In the next segment, a 3v3 drill is used as a build-up progression off the previously shown 1v1 drill and 2v2 drill, with a dedicated progression for concepts on pressure, cover and balance, as well as coaching points of emphasis regarding where players must position themselves defensively.
To tie the defensive principles together and prepare players for practicing under game-like situations, the 4v4 drill segment continues the work of the other drills and emphasizes communication, while also outlining the core concept of keeping cover and balance positioning in a line.
This video provides a real-world example of why Lauffer has been such a successful coach over the years – his consistent messaging, clear communication and emphasis on fundamentals truly hold the keys to program’s success.
Coaches will be able to take the drills shown in this video and immediately implement them into their very next practice. All the drills shown are simple and easy-to-implement regardless of your players’ level of talent.
58 minutes, 2022.