Warm-Up (8-12 minutes)

• Warm up as a team, quick dynamics followed by a coordination drill with the ball to get their minds warmed up for the session.
• Get players used to the team environment and doing things together. Can start to entrust responsibility to the captains and leaders of the group to learn the stretch routine. 
• Players will be hitting puberty during these ages, so important that we start to encourage proper stretching and mobility to reduce the risk of injury.
• 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 and finishing with an overlap will help develop and reinforce the ‘Dominate Possession’ pillar. 

Not only must they understand where on the pitch to use it, when to use it, and why they are using it. But in the YDP Phase, we must start working with the team as a whole, so where are the supporting players moving in correlation to the player on the ball?

These are the basis of your coaching points, as shown below in 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.
• Who? Can we now go one step further and challenge supporting teammates to move into supporting passing lanes and create triangles with the player on the ball?

It’s no longer enough to be working on just individual skills, but to prepare the team to work as a unit together, for when they are playing together.

Drill 2 / Possession Practice (30 Minutes)

Now it’s time to take what they have learned and put it into a match-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 carry on working on the concept to make it work on the pitch. Targets in these types of practices can be goals, passing targets, bank score totals, scoring gates, Touchdown zones, and more. Be creative, keep the scoring systems fresh and exciting, and push the boundaries each week to keep players from getting bored with the same old format.

There are a few different ways to set up a possession drill to not only challenge your players but also to learn how much they understand the core principles.

Overloads: This is a great way to introduce new concepts and increase the chance of success before putting them into an equal setting. 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. Adding neutrals to the perimeters of the space is a great way to give a subtle advantage to the possession team without crowding the inside.

Equal: The best way to coach in a match realistic setting. By having the numbers equal in attack and defence, it recreates the same settings they will have on the pitch on matchdays. 2vs2s, 3vs3s, 4vs4s, 5vs5s, and so on. The importance of these drills is to ensure the defending team applies a match-realistic press.

Outnumbered: If you want to truly challenge your group as they have mastered the pattern or concept, then add an extra player or two to the opposition and see if they are able to maintain it even with a player down. Training when outnumbered is a great way to prepare the team to not panic and remain composed in match scenarios where they are overloaded by opposition, whether it is due to injury, red cards, or turning over possession in a bad area.

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 overlaps in all sessions, make it so that they can earn 3 goals for a goal involving an overlap in build-up.

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, and Who’s in the opening drill for a good place to start.