Attackers in soccer love to bait inexperienced defenders into rash, unwise tackles.
One-On-One Defending A team will only be able to play as a unit if each defender knows how to defend one-on-one — thus, the key to playing defense is patience. Attackers in soccer love to bait inexperienced defenders into rash, unwise tackles. Becoming a better defender means waiting for attackers to make moves and only making tackles when the ball presents itself. Defenders should stay about three steps from an attacker because it forces the attacker to chose between three options — shoot, pass, or attempting to dribble past the defender.