Typically, a player in this age group, has already played 3 or more seasons. Our goal is to develop players’ skills. We can’t expect these young players to master everything all the time, they will get it over time.

Table of Contents

Objectives

Have fun
- the number one reason to play is to have fun. The number one reason not to play is that it’s not fun.
Get as many touches on the ball as possible
Players should be sharing the ball
More advanced skills
Individual, pairs and small group activities up to 6-8 players

Technical Skills

Dribble with all sides of both feet (inside, outside, sole)
Dribble out of trouble
Dribble past someone (feints, fakes, crossovers etc)
Changes of direction and turns (pullback, inside/outside turns, cruyff turn)
Speed dribbling in traffic
Soft first touch
First touch away from pressure
Receiving the ball with all parts of the body
Shielding – Players should develop proper technique to shield the balls from opponents
Shooting with both feet (with inside of foot and laces)
Shooting for power, for accuracy and volleying
Introduce proper volleying technique
Passing with inside and outside of both feet
Passing to feet and passing to space
Ability to chip the ball
Accurate longer passes (using laces)
Juggling with both feet and thighs
Throw-in technique
Proper defending technique
Block tackles
Proper heading technique

Players should spend equal time developing both feet – this is very important but difficult to implement!!!

Continue to focus a fair amount of practice time on dribbling

At this stage, players can be taught/practice a number of dribbling moves that are used frequently in football, such as step-overs, scissors, cuts, turns, and so on. We should continue to encourage them to be creative in their dribbling.

Tactical Skills

Combination plays (short passes, wall passes, overlaps and takeovers)
Importance of the first touch
Attacking Concepts (possession, penetration, width, depth, mobility, support)
Introduce basic defending concepts (pressure, cover, balance, compactness and depth)
Player movement on throw-ins
Penalty kicks

More 1v1 and 2v2 games/duels are incorporated in most sessions to allow the players to get plenty of opportunities to figure out how to dribble past an opponent and how to stop one.

At this stage, players should learn to combine with their teammates using short ground passes and wall passes. Overlapping and takeovers can be introduced to older or more experienced players. Players should also understand how to provide proper support to teammates with the ball and the importance of maintaining possession of the ball while attacking. On the defensive side, players should be familiar with the concepts of pressure and cover.

Psychological Development

We want to have an environment where players can grow in confidence, express themselves, try new things and have fun while doing it.

Keep it fun
Build confidence
Encourage imagination and creativity
Promote independent decision making
Promote problem solving
Encourage player to learn to deal with winning / losing
Increase Demands
Maintain Discipline

The most important aspect of psychological development for young players in this group is for them to have fun. We strive to create an environment where the players, and the coach, are all having fun.

This is the age group where many players decide whether they want to continue playing football or not. For most of them, if they are not having fun, they will most likely drop the sport. As a coach, you should strive to create an environment where the players, parents and you, the coach, are all having fun.

Increase demands

For this age group, in a game, dribbling may not always be the best option. Players will need to start understanding when

At this age group, the speed of development increases as physical and mental maturation improves. As a result, skill and tactical training should be designed to improve players’ mental toughness, concentration, and diligence.

Establish and maintain discipline

At this age group it is a good idea to establish team rules at the beginning of the season. The coach should also set up penalties for not following these rules. It is a good idea to inform parents of the team rules and penalties. Players tend to be self-critical and rebellious at times but typically have a strong commitment to the team. The coach should ensure that he or she applies these rules fairly and consistently if they are broken during the season.

Physical Development

This is not a priority
Just play

Notes:

Typically players of this age begin to understand the basic tactical situations of the game and are more aware of movement off the ball and the reasons for tactical choices. Problem-solving becomes systematic and these players tend to learn quickly. Children of this age typically are beginning to develop abstract awareness, so they can understand coaches when we talk about space and runs off of the ball. However, just because they understand these basic tactical
concepts does not mean we should focus on these concepts entirely. Players are still developing technically at this age, especially as they go through growth spurts and awkward phases. It is quite common to look out on a pitch and see
players that are physically the size of adults. Yet, other players look like young children. These children are all growing at different rates and undergoing physical, mental, emotional, and social changes. The average age for the beginning of pubescence in girls is 10 years old with a range of 7 to 14; for boys, it is age 12 with a range of 9 to 16. As coaches, we need to be sensitive to these changes and their social implications when coaching this age group. Some players may pick up skills quickly, whereas others may struggle. However, it may be the case that this is simply the result of differences in maturation. In a year, the slower developer may surpass the player who developed earlier. For this reason, we need to be patient and keep open minds about all players through these years. When we see them struggling, it is important for us to help them and to keep the game fun.