Coaching tools › Activities › U7
Free activities · Ages 6–7U7 soccer drills and games
Ages 6 and 7, 4v4
First grade is where the game turns into me against you, so most activities now have a defender in them. The coaching stays simple: head up with the ball close, and put your body between the defender and the ball. Each page has the setup, a fix for when it turns to chaos, and the animated clip.
The game at U7
There is no keeper, no offside and no heading. Leagues can vary, so check yours.
Field sizes and rules by age ›What age group is my child in? ›
U7 practice plans
Three full sessions built for U7. Start with dribbling, then bring in the defender. The U8 plan is 1st grade, week 1, so it fits U7 well too.
Practice plan · 60 minFind the open space (U7)Keep the ball close and dribble into open space. Built for a first-season team.
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Practice plan · 60 minMake the defender move (U7)The first real defender: fake one way, go the other.
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Practice plan · 60 minGo at goal (U7)Find the open goal, go at the defender and shoot.
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Practice plan · 60 minDribble and protect (U8)A free 60-minute U8 soccer practice plan, minute by minute.
Open the plan ›U7 dribbling and 1v1 games
Everyone, ball each · 10 minDribbling GatesSeven or eight three-yard gates around the island.
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Everyone, ball each · 10 minKnockoutEveryone dribbles on the island; on KNOCKOUT, protect your own ball while trying to kick everyone else’s off.
Open the activity ›1v1 · 8 min1v1 to ConesPairs face each other across a line neither can cross, a cone at each end.
Open the activity ›1v1 · 8 min1v1 Four-Goal GameOne attacking line and one defending line, each starting between two small goals.
Open the activity ›Everyone v the coach · 8 minSee Ya Later, Coach!Players dribble at you, drag the ball back with the sole just before they reach you, shout “See ya later, Coach!” and speed away into space.
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Everyone v the monster · 7 minCone MonsterThe coach is the Cone Monster and carries a cone.
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Minnows v sharks · 11 minSharks & MinnowsThe coach starts as the shark in the middle.
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1v1 · 7 min1v1 FieldsTwo small 1v1 fields side by side with pug or cone goals, one line attacking and one defending on each, with the coach standing between them.
Open the activity ›U7 attacking and finishing
U7 rondos
Questions coaches ask about U7
What format do U7 players play?
U7 players play 4v4 on a field 25 to 35 yards long and 15 to 25 yards wide, with 4 ft by 6 ft goals and a size 3 ball. There is no keeper, no offside and no heading. Leagues can vary, so check yours.
How long should practice be for a U7 team?
Sixty minutes. All the free U7 plans run sixty.
Can U7 players head the ball?
No. There is no heading at 4v4, and no offside either.
Thirty-six sessions like this one, Pre-K to 2nd grade
The Full Season Intramural Curriculum is one page per session for four grades, eight weeks each, with an easier and a harder version of every activity, a fix for when it turns to chaos, and an animated video of all 112 activities. Built so a professional trainer and a parent who volunteered last week run the same session.