Warm-Up (8-12 minutes)

• Less focus on stretches, more emphasis on touches on the ball and getting warm.
• Introduce technical moves that will be useful for the session ahead. E.g. A session focused on wing-play incorporates Stepovers, Cruyff Turns, and Ball Rolls into the warm-up.
• Keep it basic, and introduce a new coaching point every 2-3 minutes. 
• This is your time to get the kids’ attention for the rest of the 90 minutes, so make it fun, make it energetic, and keep it short in nature.

Drill 1 / Unopposed Practice (18-25 minutes)

Repetition-based practice or drill to help players learn a move, technique, or movement that will help them recreate one of the four pillars discussed earlier.

For Example, practising a triangle pass sequence including a Cruyff Turn and a 1-2 will help develop and reinforce the ‘Dominate Possession’ pillar. 

Teach them the set-up for the technique, where on the pitch to use it, when to use it, and why they are using it.

These are the basis of your coaching points, as shown below on the example Cruyff Turn:

• Where? Down the wing, final third, or in the midfield. Pretty much anywhere.
• When? When you don’t have a passing option available.
• Why? To bait opposition into lunging in, and to change the angle of the pass to create an available pass and retain possession.

This is the level of detail we want to be striving for when breaking down each skill or technique we are teaching our players.

Drill 2 / Opposed Practice (30 Minutes)

Now it’s time to take what they have learned and put it into practice in a more realistic situation. The live opposition is trying to win the ball from them. This is the time for you to observe and see if they have fully grasped what you have taught them, or if you need to polish the move now that they are doing it under pressure.

There are three different types of drills you can use in this section, including: 1vs1s, Overloads, or a Combined Practice.

1vs1s: As the name suggests, set up a 1vs1 environment and help them recreate the success of the unopposed drill in a more competitive setting. Make it fun, make it competitive, and make sure they regularly switch defending, attacking, and opposition to keep it fresh and engaging.

Overloads: Similar to 1vs1s but increasing the numbers in favour of the side you want success from. This is a great way to introduce a new technique and increase the chance of success before putting them into 1vs1s. By having the numbers in their favour, it creates a passing option, more time on the ball, and a less challenging environment to increase their confidence. 2vs1s, 3vs2s, 3vs1s, 4vs2s, and so on.

Combined Practice: A hybrid of the two. Drill starts in a 1vs1 situation before developing into an overloaded practice. Great for introducing transitions, such as defence wins the ball, and an extra player joins for a quick counter-attack.

Drill 3 / Match-Scenario (20 – 30 minutes)

Matches, small-sided games, or attack vs defence-based waves to create the match setting. This is not only the ‘reward’ for the players for putting in a good shift in the session and giving them a fun end to the session, but also a chance for you to sit back and see if they have listened and learned.

Condition the game in a way that creates opportunities for them to do what they have learned in the session…if you have trained Cruyff Turn all session, don’t limit them to 3-touches, otherwise you kill any chance for them to do it. Instead, make it so that they can only score after all defenders have touched the ball, or that a goal scored, including a Cruyff Turn in the build-up, counts as three goals.

Debrief (5 minutes)

This is your final chance to make sure the players have taken something away from the session. Bring the players in and recap through your session from start to finish, asking a few questions and having them give you the answers to reinforce what they have learned. Think back to your When, Where, Whys in the unopposed drill for a good place to start.