These are the general areas for defenders in a 7v7 formation to position themselves. Defenders should normally stay within 10-12 yards of each other in order to support each other as well as block passing lanes. The number one priority is to do anything necessary to keep the ball from going in the net. When the other team is moving toward the goal a defender should be patient and try to delay the attack in order to create times for teammates to recover. By being patient you are waiting for the attacker to make a mistake in order to then attempt a tackle. When clearing the ball, it should never be kicked aimlessly to the middle of the field near the defensive goal. Once the defender wins the ball, they should first look to play the ball to a teammate further up the field, however, playing the ball back over to the defensive counterpart, or even the goalie is an option.
When on attack, defenders should move up with the rest of the team and shadow the ball from midfield. This ensures there is not a gap between the midfield and defense for the opponent to exploit. If the opponent begins to dribble toward the defense, the defense should compress closer together and delay the attack by moving back and attempting to force the attackers wide and away from middle of the field.
Pressure, Posture, Patience