ONSIDE DIGITAL LEARNING

Mention Italian football to any fan of the game and they will invariably name great players like Gianluigi Buffon, Francesco Totti and Gianfranco Zola as well as some of the most iconic moments in World Cup history (who can ever forget Marco Tardelli's celebration during the 1982 World Cup?).  Chances are, however, that the subject of defending will also crop up, whether it be the infamous catenaccio system or just the sheer quality of Italian defending.  The central aim of this course is to provide you with an insight into the Italian style of defending and introducing the topic are two of Italy's most promising youth coaches - Mirko Mazzantini of Fiorentina and Simone Bombardieri of Empoli, who also are the founders of the renowned international 'Soccer Italian Style' franchise.

 

During the course they will look at the development of Italian defensive play over time, both technically and tactically, and they will also be looking at individual defending and defending as a team.  This course is designed for Coaches working at all levels and with all age groups and is also suitable for players who want to improve their own defensive game.  The course will be made up of four modules, each taking approximately 4-5 hours to complete, although the 'Explore' Module will be significantly shorter as it is designed as a free ‘taster’ for the remainder of the course.  Each module will be divided into six short segments.  Once all four modules are completed a certificate will be issued from 'Soccer Italian Style'.  Modules are, however, designed to be 'stand alone' learning opportunities and can be completed in isolation from one another.

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We hope you enjoy the course!

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Course Contents

Explore Module - Introduction

1.1        Introduction to Defending as an Individual

1.2        Introduction to Defending as a Team

1.3        Development of Italian defensive tactics

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Module 1 - Defending as an Individual

2.1         The characteristics of a good defender

2.2         Positional Play

2.3         Training Drills

2.4         Tackling

2.5         Transitional Play

2.6         Tactics

 

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Module 2 - Defending as a Team

3.1          

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.6

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Module 3 - Defensive Tactics

4.1

4.2

4.3

4.4

4.5

4.6

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- Further Study

- Reference List