Teach kids to love defending

In this episode, Ben and Mike sit down with Ross Clarke Brooks—UEFA A-Licensed coach at West Ham United and Football DNA content creator—to tackle one of grassroots football’s toughest challenges: coaching kids to defend.

Ross draws on over a decade of experience working with young players to share practical ways coaches can introduce defending without killing the fun. From teaching body positioning and decision-making in small-sided games to using creative analogies that kids understand, he explains how to help players see defending as just as exciting as attacking.

The discussion also dives into common coaching dilemmas: when to introduce compactness, how to avoid over-instruction, keeping training realistic and playful, and the balance between winning and development.

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