To teach young soccer players zone coverage, you need to have the image of the end result firmly embedded in their brain.

Quick pass readouts, piston-like footwork, sharp drop angles, exact zone drop depth, ESP-like communication, and finally, interceptions and incompletions.

You will need this image fixed in your brain because you will most likely start with:

Slow reads/no pass, sloppy footwork, slow feet, missteps, inexplicable dropped balls and maddening completions.

If you have done a good job in the career game teaching reading steps, career support, career search, and communication, your job will be much easier.

The first step to playing the zone effectively is getting players down fast and deep enough to:

1. Keep receivers wide in front of them

2. See how the routes develop

Players need to understand that when they identify a pass, they need to get to their zone NOW!

You will have to overcome a great barrier: multitasking.

When young players identify the pass, they will try to do everything at once in 1.8 seconds:

– View quarterback

– Watch wide receivers

– Find out who they should cover (even if it’s an area)

– Find out where the ball is going.

– Try to remember what they are actually supposed to be doing.

This mental activity slows the feet and causes players to take poor landing angles.

Take a focused, step-by-step coaching approach.

First focus on accelerating the drops.

Get there now!

Once players demonstrate that they are reacting correctly to pass cues, then, and only then, should you move on to teaching the other components of zone coverage:

– improve footwork

– sharpness drop angles

– hit waypoints

– communication

– ball skills

Train the little things and the big things will happen.