U7 child will only defend and never goes forward

Question

We talk a lot about stopping coaches creating defenders, but one girl in our group chooses to stay back herself. Nobody tells her to. She seems comfortable there and almost never goes beyond halfway. Do you leave that because it is her decision, or gently challenge her to experience more of the game?

Verified Coach · Accepted Answer

I’d gently challenge her, but I would not drag her forward every time she chooses to stay back.

She may feel useful and secure there. That is valuable information.

Give her small invitations to experience more: “Can you join one attack this game?” or “If your teammate has the ball, can you find a place ahead of them once?”

Then notice how she responds.

If she goes forward and immediately races back because that is where she feels comfortable, that is okay. You can build from it gradually.

The key is that her own preference should not become a permanent label either. She deserves chances to discover that she might enjoy dribbling, scoring and combining as well as defending.

Challenge the range of experiences, not the child’s personality.

GreyHoodie · Answer

And dont turn her preference into 'she is a defender'. Kids hear those labels and start protecting them.

OliviaP · Answer

I would challenge her gently. My daughter liked staying back because it felt safe. One little 'can you join one attack?' challenge opened up a whole other side of the game.

U7 child will only defend and never goes forward

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