When a team steps up and tries to pull an offsides trap, they typically are trying to
catch the forwards who are trying to run into the space behind the defense. As the
forwards are running toward the goal they are attacking, the defense steps forward
(away from this same goal) and leaves the attacking players in an offsides position.
There are a couple of very easy ways to defeat this type of defense. The
first one is to have the forwards check back to the ball (which they should be doing
anyway) and then find a midfielder running through the holes that have been created.
Remember, when a team is stepping up with an offsides trap, they have no depth in
their defense so once you get past the first defender, it's just you and the keeper.
If a forward checks back to the ball and the defense goes with her, the ball can be
played into this forward and then she should knock the ball back toward a midfielder.
As the ball
was played to the forward, one of the other midfielders should start a run forward and run
through one of the holes of the defense. This run must be timed properly in order for her
to stay onsides. The ball played back from the forward, should then be played one
touch through to the midfielder running toward goal. Timed properly, this player should
have a lot of space to work with since the defense will usually be caught running in the
wrong direction. Plus, there is an annoying tendency for them to stop and raise
their hand to complain this runner was offsides(remember, offsides occurs when the ball is
played not when the ball is received).
The second way to beat an offsides trap is to simply dribble through the trap. As
the midfielder has the ball and the forwards are checking back, the defense loses all
forms of shape and balance and there is absolutely no support for the defender who is on
the ball. The defense is running toward the ball trying to get the opponent offsides
so all the dribbler has to do is push the ball past the defense to HERSELF and away she
goes. There is risk of an offsides calls since there is no pass.
