Second Defender "Cover"

The role of the second defender is to provide cover to the first defender. The first defenders curves his run to pressure the ball and force play in one direction. The second defender provides cover to this pressure. In a zonal system every player is responsible for every other player; as the ball moves all players adjust and move in reaction to the ball. Understanding the role of the second defender is the next step to understanding zonal defense.

The first defender will get in hard and quick, making a curving run to force the ball in one direction. The second defenders will react to the curved run of the first defender and provide cover for this player by reading the run of the first defender and positioning himself on a good angle.(Diagram 1)

	It can be as the first defender goes in with a curved run he takes away the passing lane to attacker #3 eliminating him as an option. He has effectively forced attacker #1 to play toward the right side and attacker #2. The second defender slides into cover providing help to his teammate. As #3 is no longer an option, he is able to help his teammate should he encounter trouble with #1, as well as mark #2.

The second defender needs to be on an angle, he cannot be to flat as he will be vulnerable to a pass splitting him and his teammate. (Diagram 2) He cannot be straight behind him either as the attacker will be able to beat both players with one move. Therefore he must position himself on a good angle to take away passing lanes and help his teammate should he be beat. A good rule for the second defender is to be one touch away from the ball. This means that the second defender is able to make a tackle within one touch of the ball if his teammate has been beaten.

	It can be seen here that the first defender is neither taking away a passing lane nor forcing the attacker in one direction. This allows both attacker 2 and 3 to remain as viable passing options. The second defender is not providing good cover as he is vertical with the first defender allowing the attacker to beat both defenders easily and quickly or to play a diagonal ball past them and behind the defense. This is ineffective for the defense as the attacking team has multiple options and the defense has provided little pressure and taken away no options.
	In this situation the second defender is horizontal (flat) with the first defender. This presents problems for the defense as the first attacker can split the defense with either the dribble or the pass to teammates running behind the defense. There is no cover provided by the second defender in this situation.

It is important to note that the first and second defender roles are continually changing within the small sided games on the field. As the ball moves it is important the players do not chase the ball. Instead the second defender becomes the first defender and the first defender slides into the role of the second defender. (Diagram 1a) As the ball moves around the field the first and second defenders will continually try to work together providing pressure and cover. This allows the defense to remain compact and aggressive instead of spread out and passive.

	As the first attacker plays to the second attacker, #2 the second defender (from a cover position) curves a run towards the pass and forces the play back to where it came from. The first defender (from a pressure position) slides into a cover position. The second defender is now the first defender and the first defender is the second defender. These roles continually shift as the ball moves throughout the game.

Finally the second defender must communicate to the first defender. Because the first defender is going to be aggressive and quick to force the ball, the second defender must be patient, see the field and communicate to the first defender where to force the play as well as where he is on the field. Furthermore, when the roles change and the second defender becomes first defender it is necessary to communicate this so eyes can remain on the ball while knowing where teammates are.

The role of the second defender is also easy to explain. Provide cover to the first attacker. This is done by being the proper distance away at the right angle such that he can easily help his teammate out.

Role of the Third Defender