Center Back training
Center backs win it and start the attack. Defending and heading lead your week, then the pass out. In Spatrian a player who sets their position gets these skills ranked first in every session, a drill for each of them that changes every week, and the puzzle that trains the position’s decisions.
Defending
Jockeying, steering and recovering, with or without a ball.
DefendingDefensive Shape Drill
Practice maintaining defensive line and shifting as a unit.
DefendingChannel Duel — Steer to the Line
Defend a narrow channel by showing the attacker sideways instead of diving in.
DefendingZonal Sliding Screen
A defending line shifts across together to shut whichever side the ball is on.
DefendingRecovery Run and Angle of Pursuit
Chase back from behind on a curved line so you arrive goal-side rather than alongside.
DefendingSteering to the Outside Gate
Defend a central goal by making the attacker take the side gate instead.
DefendingJockey and Recovery Challenge
Back off under control, then turn and match them the moment they go.
DefendingSoloSmall spaceJockeying Shadow
Defensive shuffling with no ball at all — the shape a defender holds before the tackle.
DefendingSoloRecovery Run: Turn and Track
The ball is lost up the pitch: turn on the first step, sprint back goal-side of an imaginary attacker, and settle into a defending stance.DefendingSoloCut the Angle: Goal-Side Position
The ball moves round a fan of cones; the defender moves each time to the line between the ball and the goal, two steps off it, side-on.
DefendingSoloSmall spaceShadow 1v1 Reactions
A defender's reactions in a box: the parent, or a timer's calls, is the attacker, and the child shifts, jockeys and pounces on the call without a ball being struck.Passing
Weight, angle and timing, against a wall or with other players.
PassingSoloWall Passing (Solo) / Partner Passing
Stand 5-8m apart. Pass the ball back and forth using the inside of the foot.
PassingRondo 3v1
Three players keep possession against one defender in small grid.
PassingTriangle Passing
Three players form triangle, pass and follow or pass and move.
PassingTwo-Grid Transition Rondo
Keep the ball in one grid, then break into the next one the moment it opens up.
Passing3v1 Keep-Away with Split Passes
Keep-away where a pass played between the defender's legs or either side of them is worth double.
PassingSoloSmall spaceWeak Foot Only
Two minutes against a wall using nothing but the foot they avoid.
PassingKick-In to a Runner
Take futsal's kick-in from a still ball on the line, within the four seconds the Laws allow, and pass into a teammate's run along the floor.
PassingSoloSmall spaceOutside-of-the-Foot Wall Pass
Passes off a wall with the outside of the foot, the pass that disguises where the ball is going, from four steps back in a garage or a basement.Close the Door
Shut every lane of the day's attack. One a day, two levels, a few minutes, for the decisions the position makes before the ball arrives.
Greats who played it
From the Legend of the Week: a sourced story from each career and the move they were known for, with the drill that trains it.
Other positions
Train as a center back, week by week
Set your position in Spatrian and each week leads with the drills for it, read aloud by the Audio Coach and kept on your own training record, which your coach or personal trainer can read. The beta is opening to a small first group of players, coaches and families.