Defence in Action

Overview

Lesson 4 of 5 builds on students’ attacking and passing skills by focusing on defence in invasion games. Students will practise defensive positioning, marking (both stages), intercepting moments, and explain how defensive choices protect team success.

Learning intentions

• WALT identify defensive strategies and describe what they look like in play.
• WALT perform effective defensive movements, including marking and intercepting.
• WALT use space wisely to help defend and regain possession.
• WALT make decisions about when to close down, track, and respond to a pass.

Success criteria

• I can move into position to mark an opponent and keep them in my sight.
• I can step in (without fouling) to intercept when a pass is likely.
• I can hold or shift space to protect my team’s goal area.
• I can explain why my defensive actions helped stop an attack or win possession.

Curriculum links

• Movement skills (invasion games): applying attacking and defending strategies, including dodging, marking (both stages), and intercepting.
• Defence principles: marking, intercepting, and regaining possession.
• Space use: attacking (creating passing options) and defending (holding space).
• Game decision-making: deciding when and how to pass, move, or shoot to support team success (used here to anticipate and defend against those choices).

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 min · Set-up & warm-up rules. Teacher quickly recalls safety and game rules (no barging, keep control of speed). Students jog to stations and hold a ball when signalled.

2. 5–15 min · Sea-quenced warm-up (passing accuracy). Teacher explains: “Follow the sequence around the field—pass to the next person, then move to the open space.” Students in lines pass accurately while the coach calls a partner number/order; they practise firm, chest-high passes and scanning before receiving.

3. 15–25 min · Numbers Up (defensive positioning). Teacher sets a small playing area with cones for lanes and a “defend zone” near the goal/line. Students play 3v2 or 4v3 where attackers try to make a pass to score and defenders must mark, close space, and attempt intercepts. Student task: when their team defends, each player takes responsibility for an opponent, tracks their movement, and shifts across to protect the defend zone.

4. 25–33 min · Micro-coaching huddles (defence focus). Teacher pauses play for 20–30 seconds to teach one key idea: “Mark and block passing lanes—step to intercept only when the ball is travelling through your lane.” Students repeat a short defensive drill: freeze → point out “danger space” → move to a better position when the ball is redirected.

5. 33–42 min · Game play (defend to regain). Teacher runs a short series of games (knock-in rotation) with quick resets after a score or turnover. Students focus on defence actions first, then return to play for the next sequence.

6. 42–45 min · Reflection & exit check. Teacher asks: “What defensive action stopped the attack most?” Students answer with one sentence on a card or using a gesture + short spoken response.

Resources

• Cones for playing areas, defend zone, and lanes
• Bibs to create attacking/defending teams
• Soft balls (e.g., foam or lighter balls for safety)
• Passing sequence cards or number prompts for Sea-quenced
• Stopwatches/timers for rotations
• Visual cue posters: “Mark / Track / Intercept / Hold space / Regain”
• Dyslexia-friendly response cards (sentence stems and word banks)

Assessment

• Teacher observation checklist during Numbers Up and games: marking accuracy, intercept attempts, and maintaining defend zone space.
• Quick formative questioning during huddles: “Why did you step then?” and “What passing lane were you blocking?”
• Exit check: one-sentence explanation of a defensive choice that helped the team.

Differentiation

• Visual aids and demonstrations: show a quick “good defence” vs “not enough defence” using a volunteer to demonstrate marking distance and tracking the ball.
• Sentence starters for dyslexia-friendly responses:
• “I marked by…”
• “I intercepted when…”
• “This helped our team because…”
• Support for students who struggle with positioning: assign a “zone job” (e.g., “protect this lane”) and use colour-coded cones so expectations are clear.
• Extension challenge for confident defenders (also supports advanced learners): ask them to communicate with teammates using one set phrase (“Stay connected”, “I’ve got their lane”, “Step to intercept”).

Extension (advanced learners)

• Advanced learners lead a 30–45 second team talk between rounds: they must identify one defensive tactic and model it (e.g., “mark in two stages” or “step and touch the passing lane”).
• In game play, give them a “defence captain” role: they call out when to hold space and when to press toward an intercept opportunity (with teacher approval to ensure safe, legal play).