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Physical Education

Attack and Defend

Overview

Students play a small-sided game and then analyse their tactics, applying specific attacking and defending strategies.

Learning Objective
Students apply attacking and defending principles in a simplified invasion game.

Resources needed

  • Ball
  • Marked playing area
  • Two small goals (sticks or stones)

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Play a free 5v5 game for 5 minutes with no coaching.
  2. 2 Stop and discuss: what did the attacking team do well? What did the defending team do?
  3. 3 Introduce width in attack: spread out to create space.
  4. 4 Introduce pressure in defence: press the ball quickly.
  5. 5 Play for 5 more minutes applying these ideas.
  6. 6 Stop again and discuss: did the tactics make a difference?
  7. 7 Final game — students choose their own tactics.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Condition the game: attackers must make 5 passes before scoring.
  • Defenders can only move sideways — no forward pressure.
  • Play 3v3 for more touches per player.
More information

Teach: width, space, press, defend, attack, support. Draw a simple diagram on the ground showing players spreading out.

Assign roles: one student is always the 'observer' who watches and reports what they see.

Are attacking players moving into space? Are defenders maintaining a defensive shape rather than all chasing the ball?

Mark goals with stones and the pitch boundary with sticks. A tied cloth ball works for the game. No cones or posts needed.

All players chase the ball. Teach students to move away from the ball — creating space is just as important as chasing it.

Width in attack and pressure in defence are universal principles that apply to football, hockey, basketball, and netball.

Activity details
Secondary Challenging 30 minutes 5 minutes prep Small Group, Whole Class Outdoor
Topics
Tactics Teamwork Invasion Games