Coaching tools › Activities › U11
Free activities · Ages 10–11U11 soccer drills
Ages 10 and 11, 9v9
9v9 is a plan, not just a shape. There is enough field to switch the play and enough players to press as a unit. The build-out line goes away, so playing out of the back has to be a habit by now, not a rule. These are the free travel curriculum activities plus the early rungs of 100 Possession Activities.
The game at U11
There are keepers and offside, but no build-out line and no heading. Leagues can vary, so check yours.
Field sizes and rules by age ›The 2-3-3 for 9v9 ›Rondos for 6 to 10 players ›
U11 practice plans
Two full sessions for the first 9v9 season. The U12 plan is drawn for the same format, so it works here too.
Practice plan · 90 minSwitch the play (U11)Draw them to one side, then go out the other.
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Practice plan · 90 minPress as a unit (U11)Lose it? Five seconds to win it back, as a unit.
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Practice plan · 90 minPlaying out of the back (U12)A free 90-minute U12 soccer practice plan, minute by minute.
Open the plan ›U11 rondos
4v1 · 10 minFour-Line RondoA 10x10 with one attacker on each side line and one defender inside. Attackers may slide along their own line but not leave it.
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4v1 + helper · 10 minColor-Call Rondo4v1 in a 10x10 with a helper walking the outside holding up a colored cone. The receiver has to call the color before the first touch.
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4v2 + goals · 10 minRondo and Go4v2 in a 10x10 with two mini goals fifteen yards away.
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3v1 · 8 min3v1 SquareThe first rondo. Three attackers on three sides of a small square, one defender inside, two touches and five passes for a point.
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4v1 · 8 min4v1 With a CallA 4v1 rondo where the receiver has to call a number shown by a helper before the first touch.
Open the activity ›U11 possession and passing drills
Pairs · 20 minWide GatesCone gates scattered 12 to 15 yards apart across a 30x30. In pairs, pass through a gate to your partner, then both run to a new gate.
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4v4 · 25 minChannel Game4v4 to mini goals on a 35x30 with a five-yard channel down each side. One attacker at a time may be in a channel and nobody may tackle them there.
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Pattern · 20 minAround the ShapeCones laid out in your team shape on half a field, one player per cone.
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5v5 + GKs · 25 minHome Zones5v5 plus keepers on a 40x30 split into back, middle and front bands.
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Threes · 20 minShoulder-Check LinesThrees in a line, ten yards apart.
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4v2 · 8 minSplit the GateFour attackers around a 12x12 with two defenders standing as a gate in the middle, three yards apart.
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4+1 v 3 · 10 minPocket RondoThree lines of cones split a 15x12 into thirds. Four attackers on the ends, one in the middle third with three defenders.
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4v1 · 8 minPass and Move SquareA 4v1 rondo with one rule that changes everything: after you pass, you must move to a different side of the square before you can receive again.
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3v1 · 10 minTraveling TriangleThree attackers with one ball travel down a 10x30 channel against a defender who may only walk, keeping a triangle around the defender the whole way.
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4v2 · 8 minTwo-Side RondoA long, narrow rondo. Two attackers on each short end of a 16x8, two defenders inside.
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6v3 · 10 minSwitch Through the MiddleTwo attackers on each side line of a 20x14, two in the middle, three defenders.
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1v1 + 2 servers · 8 minCheck and ReceiveTwo servers twelve yards apart, a receiver in the middle with a shadow defender behind.
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4v1 · 8 minVacate and FillA rondo that rotates: leave a space so a teammate can arrive in it.
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2 + mini goal · 8 minRun on the TouchA passer and a runner on a 20x15 with a mini goal.
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3v1 · 8 minRun and ThroughPass into the target, run on the pass, finish the lay-off.
Open the activity ›U11 playing out of the back
GK + 3 v 2 · 25 minBeat the First PressHalf a field with a goal. Keeper, two backs and a center mid build against two pressers, with three cone gates on the halfway line.
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1v1 + server · 20 minBounce or TurnA server twelve yards from a receiver with a shadow defender behind, either tight or loose.
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GK + 5 v 4 · 25 minOut and OverA 45x35 with a halfway line.
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GK + 2 v 1 · 8 minKeeper and TwoThe simplest build-up picture: a goal, a keeper and two backs on the edge of the box against one presser, with two gates on the far line.
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GK + 3 v 2 · 10 minDiamond OutKeeper, two backs and a center mid in a diamond against two pressers, with three gates across the far line.
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2v1 · 8 min2v1 to the LineTwo attackers against one defender in a 15x10 channel, ten seconds to dribble over the end line.
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3v2 · 10 min3v2 to Two GoalsThree attackers against two defenders on a 20x15 with two mini goals on the far line and twelve seconds to score.
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4v4 + targets · 25 minLock the Middle4v4 on a 35x30 with a target player on each end line and three gates across the middle: a wide center gate and two wide ones.
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4v2 · 10 minFive-Second Rondo4v2 in a 12x12 where the defenders try to keep the ball when they win it, and the four have five seconds, counted out loud, to win it back.
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2v2 · 8 minWin-It-Back BoxesSeveral 12x12 boxes with a 2v2 in each. Five passes is a point, and if you lose the ball you have five seconds to win it back for two.
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3v3 · 8 minWin and Go3v3 on a 20x15 with a mini goal at each end.
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4v2 to 4v4 · 10 minBreak From the RondoWin the ball in the rondo and break out 4v4 to goal.
Open the activity ›U11 warm-ups
Questions coaches ask about U11
What format do U11 players play?
U11 players play 9v9 on a field 70 to 80 yards long and 45 to 55 yards wide, with 7 ft by 21 ft goals and a size 4 ball. There are keepers and offside, but no build-out line and no heading. Leagues can vary, so check yours.
How long should practice be for a U11 team?
Ninety minutes. Every session in the travel book runs the same five blocks: rondo, sharpen, solve, play and a set piece.
Is there a build-out line at U11?
No. The build-out line goes away at 9v9, so playing out of the back has to be a habit by now, not a rule.
The possession activities on this page come from 100 Possession Activities: ten themes of ten rungs each, every one on video.
Twenty-four sessions, twelve match days, one habit at a time
The Full Season Travel Curriculum for ages 9 to 12 is twelve weeks built around six team habits, every game drawn at 7v7 and 9v9, with a match-day page every week, the 30-minute game-day warm-up and an animated video of every activity.
