”The 6-0 defence does not exist.
As soon as one defender comes out to a back, it's a 5: 1 defence."
Juan de Dios Román Seco (during one lunch on the Mediterranean coast)
Today, in senior handball, "school zone formations" are played less and less, and combined defences are played increasingly more. In tactical departures from traditional play, coaches most often use different forms of 5:1 defence.
5:1 is a defence we teach when young players master the basics of 3:2:1 defence because of the many similarities in their basics.
These two defences can be so similar that the observer can confuse them. My team used to play 5:1, and the rival coach would say to me after the game: "You have a good 3:2:1 defence". In addition, we used to play 3:2:1 defence and people would talk to me after the game: "It's easy for you to play 5: 1 when you have such a good front centre."
