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Free coaching guidesCoaching guides
you can use tonight
Tactics explained on the pitch with a video for each, complete practice plans by age, and pages straight out of the books. Written for the coach who has a session in two hours, not for the one with a weekend to read. No email, no sign-up.
Tactics guides
Formations, build-up, pressing and transitions for 9v9 and 11v11, each with the YouTube explainer embedded and the session that trains it.
Tactics guide · 4-3-3Playing out of the back in a 4-3-3The 2-3-5 build shape, the first triangle and the four decisions a center back makes.
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Tactics guide · 4-2-3-1Playing out of the back in a 4-2-3-1The staggered pivots, the switch through the higher pivot and how to find the ten.
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Tactics guide · formations4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1: which fits your team?Four questions about your six, your ten, your full-backs and how you defend.
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Tactics guide · 4-3-3How to press in a 4-3-3Three moments, four triggers, the touchline trap and the six who never joins.
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Tactics guide · in possessionHow to beat a high pressThe keeper is the plus one, the third player is free, and five rules that get you out.
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Tactics guide · in possessionHow to beat a low blockWidth and patience, move the block then switch, the wide two v one, the cutback.
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Tactics guide · 9v9The 2-3-3 for 9v9, explainedWhat changes from the 2-3-1 and what does not, for teams moving up at U11.
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Tactics guide · transitionsRest defense: attack without getting counteredThree stay behind the ball, the nearest three press for five seconds, and the bench calls every turnover.
Read the guide ›Practice plans by age
Complete sessions by age and topic, every minute accounted for, with a video of each activity.
Practice plan · Ages 5–6A U6 practice: Soccer IslandSixty minutes for Kindergarten, minute by minute, with two coaching points.
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Practice plan · Ages 7–8A U8 practice: Dribble and ProtectDribbling gates, knockout and a 3v3 game with a defender in everything.
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Practice plan · Ages 9–10A U10 practice: Get BigRondo, wide gates, the channel game and a 7v7 game with a freeze check.
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Practice plan · Ages 11–12A U12 practice: playing out of the backColor-call rondo, shoulder-check lines, beat the first press and short goal kicks.
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Practice plan · Ages 13–14A U14 practice: build against the pressThe MD-3 build-up session from the 11v11 curriculum.
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Three sessions from the books and the age-group calculator every registrar gets asked about.
Guide · Ages 9–10A 7v7 game model on one page: the 2-3-1Why the shape works, who does what with and without the ball, and the three activities that teach it in one session.
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Guide · Any ageHow to run a rondo with 6 to 10 playersThree rondos for small numbers: 3v1 square, 4v2 split and 5v2 with a link, each with a video.
Read the guide ›Guide · Ages 4–5A first Pre-K soccer practice that worksForty-five minutes, minute by minute: Soccer Island, Space Man, 3 Speeds and the game.
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Calculator · Parents & directorsWhat age group is my child in?Enter a date of birth and get the 2026-27 group, next season’s, the game format and why the August cutoff changed things.
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For the August questions: which age group, how big the field, and a plan to fill in.
The activity library
Fifty-seven activities with a video of each, by age and by theme: rondos, playing out of the back, possession, attacking, pressing, dribbling and warm-ups.