Our Body Orientation and its Effect on the Opponent

How we position our body can lead to pressure coming from the opponent. The opponent reads our body language whether they realize they are doing so or not and can (subconsciously) recognize the moment to press such as if the player receiving the ball has his head down or a closed body position or a poor first touch that gets stuck under his body. These are often known as pressing triggers. So, if we are aware of the opponent and the fact that they are reading our body language to find moments to press how can we counteract or prevent this from happening? Example: right center back receiving from the right fullback. As that pass is made to the right-side center back, they want to look to receive on their back foot (left foot in this situation). This is often seen as opening up and allows players to play in multiple directions and can help play out of pressure. But what is the effect of it on the opponent in pressing? If that right side center back had kept his body facing the side the ball is on and receives with his front foot (right foot) this allows the opponent to immediately step up and pressure as the center backs first touch and body orientation will be facing only in one direction and they are either unaware of the options or space on the other side of them or they will have to take an extra touch or two to get the ball set to play to that opposite side. This makes the play from the center back much more predictable, and the opponent can look to pressure the ball and they rest of the defense can step up to close the space. Now if the center back receives on his back foot (left foot) opening up his body and allowing him to face the whole field this then leads to an uncertainty in the opponents press as with that one touch being across the center backs body they are now facing forward with a wider range of space and passing angles. This causes the opponent to pause and analyze the current situation as there is more unpredictability with the receiving center back setting his first touch up to face forward with more space and multiple passing options. So, if the opponent were to step to press the center back could then exploit the space with either a pass or dribble as his next action his set up and prepared. That goes for the collective as well as the individual opponent looking to press. If the poor body orientation and receiving of the ball triggers the press from the individual opponent, this then triggers the press from the collective to step up and close the space or step up and orientate themselves to a player to mark. If, however, the receiving players body orientation is open, and they can see the whole field as they are receiving this will make the immediate opponent who is looking for the moment to press more cautious in their approach. This then makes the collective as a whole pause and have to analyze the situation and be ready to potentially shift one direction or the other.

Knowing this how can we use our body orientation to disguise our intentions or manipulate the opponent into thinking or doing one thing so that we can counteract it? For example: a midfielder receiving with his back to goal. Often times when we receive, we want to be opened up and facing forward but depending on the situation this can have an adverse effect on the opponent who then may be more passive in pressing. This may give us more time on the ball but can make playing into forward spaces more difficult as the opponent is sat back blocking the space rather than pressing the ball. How can we then draw in the opponent and get them to press us thinking they are in an advantageous position to do so? Knowing that the opponent is reading our body language we can then use that to our advantage by purposefully having a poor body shape while receiving such as facing backwards from the way we are attacking which can trigger the press from the opponent. Thiago Silva is a master at this. Rather than dropping to the ball and getting on the half turn, you hold your position and continue facing the opposite way that you want to go with your back turned. This requires a high level of technical ability as well as pre-scanning and awareness to know where the opponent is and where the space is. So, as you receive with your back to goal it looks like you trapped yourself, the opponent is drawn in and steps to pressure, and this enables you to turn away into the newly vacated space. Again, this requires a high level of perception (knowing what’s around you), high-level decision-making ability to know and understand what spaces you should be looking to move into, and a high level of technical ability to be able to time and execute the action.

Lastly, the use of disguised body shape to pass. The use of our body can also be used to disguise our intentions of where we want to pass and can open up passing lanes into players by getting the opponent to move in one direction thinking we are passing there when really, we are passing in the opposite direction or in the space that they just vacated. Through the use of our eyes looking in one direction along with our hips, this can get the opponent focused and looking in a certain direction and even start to take steps in that direction anticipating a pass. The opponent reads our body language but what they don’t realize is that we are not only reading their body language but influencing and manipulating what they do. So, as we begin the action of pulling our leg back and opening the inside of our foot to pass, the opponent reads this and begins to step in anticipation. As the opponent does this, we are reading their movement and just as we got to make contact with the ball we turn our hips over and play the pass into the newly created passing lane. Look one way, get the opponent to shift, then play the opposite way.

6v6+3 Possession

This game for the most part is a basic possession drill where either team in possession look to play from target to target (two yellows on ends) while also utilizing the neutral (yellow) in the middle. The two yellows on the ends should be positioned inside the field and are allowed to be pressed and even marked. The field is separated into three vertical zones. The three yellow neutrals are restricted to the middle zone while the rest of the players are free to move in and out of these zones as they see fit. The three zones should also be used as reference points for positioning, space, and ball relocation. From here the main coaching point is our body orientation and how we are receiving the ball. This pertains to players in all parts of the field, but its influence is easiest seen with the target players on the ends.

There are two options for the yellow target to receive, either with their front (right) foot or with their back (left) foot.

Here the yellow target receives with the foot nearest the player passing the ball. This makes play predictable for the opponent as they read the receiving players body shape. While only facing the outside, the red players nearest the ball knowing that the receiving player can only play the direction they are facing without taking more touches and use that as a trigger to pressure the player while further blocking off the outside. While they do this, the rest of the reds can look to step up and close the space on that side.

Here the yellow target receives across their body on the foot farthest from the passing player (left foot in this situation) this makes it harder for the reds to press. Receiving across your body allows you to face forward with a larger field of vision and creates multiple potential passing lanes and options. So now instead of reds being able to press and close space on one side, now they have to be aware of what’s going on, on the far side. This can cause the pressing players to freeze and hold their positioning rather than stepping out to press which creates more time on the ball for the ball carrier. As well the reds may start to shift or take a few steps in the opposite direction which then opens up more playable space on the near side that the ball had just arrived from.

For the skilled players that have the ability to play in tight spaces and deceive the opponent and manipulate the opponent, we can have a discussion about our body orientation and receiving with an open body but also how we can draw an opponent in to look to exploit the space behind them through our body orientation and pauses as we receive. It should be communicated and addressed the importance of pre-scanning before/as we are receiving the ball, however part of the deception to draw in a defender is not letting him know you know he is there. This takes a high level of awareness of what’s around you. As well it’s important to make sure that we don’t have players blindly turning into pressure and making correct decisions. If we don’t know what’s behind us or what space we have to exploit or there is no space then we should look to lay the ball off to a player facing forward in support.

KW

Written November 2021