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Free practice plan · Ages 9–10 · 7v7 · 2-3-1A U10 soccer practice plan:
Get Big, 90 minutes
This is Week 1, Session 1 of the Full Season Travel Curriculum for ages 9 to 12, drawn here for 7v7. Ninety minutes, twelve to sixteen players, and one habit for the whole block: Get Big. When we have the ball, stretch the field. Every session in the book has the same five blocks, rondo, sharpen, solve, play and a set piece, so by week three the players set up the next one before you ask.
- When we win it, run to your spot and get big.
- Wide mids: boots on the paint.
Bring: Ball each, flat cones for gates and channels, pinnies in two colors, 2 to 4 mini goals.
Your job: Say the habit, not the play. “Get big” helps a player decide; “pass it to Maya” decides for them.
The session, minute by minute
Four-Line Rondo
RondoA 10x10 square with one attacker on each side line and one defender inside. Attackers may slide along their own line but not leave it. Eight passes is a point. Swap the defender every 45 seconds, or when they win it. Players start as they arrive.
Wide Gates
SharpenScatter cone gates 12 to 15 yards apart across a 30x30. In pairs, pass through a gate to your partner, then both run to a new gate. Receive side-on and take the first touch out of your feet. Count gates in 90 seconds.
EasierStop the ball, then pass.
HarderTwo touches. Weaker foot at every second gate.
If it stallsPasses missing the gate? Bring partners 3 yards closer.
Channel Game
Solve4v4 to mini goals on a 35x30, with a 5-yard channel marked down each side. One attacker at a time may be in a channel, and nobody may tackle them there. A goal counts double if the move went through a channel.
EasierThe channel player gets three free touches.
HarderTwo touches in the channel.
If it stallsNobody using the channels? Play one game where every attack has to go through one.
The game: freeze check
Play7v7 in the 2-3-1, wide mids give the width. Three times a half, shout FREEZE. If the team with the ball is big (backs split, wide players on the paint, striker high) it earns a point. Water comes before this block, never in the middle of it.
Rules and throw-ins
Set pieceTwo minutes on the rules your league uses at this age: restarts, offside, and the build-out line if you have one. Then throw-ins in pairs: both feet down, ball from behind the head, throw to feet.
Shorter session?
With 75 minutes, halve Sharpen. With 60, skip it and run Rondo, Solve, Play and the set piece. Never cut Play. The second session of the week uses the same habit with Around the Shape and Home Zones, and the game-day warm-up carries it into Saturday.
Match day: what to watch for
The habit to watch this week is 1 · Get big. Three things to look for from the touchline:
- When we win the ball, how many seconds until we are big?
- Are the wide players on the touchline, or drifting toward the ball?
- Do the backs split when our keeper has it?
Halftime, two questions, then listen:
- When did we look big? What happened next?
- Who found space out wide? How did the ball get there?
Questions coaches ask
Why does every session start with a rondo?
Because players start the moment they arrive, the ball is moving before the coach says a word, and the first ten minutes teach the three habits every possession activity depends on: receive on the far foot, move so the passer can see you, pass to the foot that lets the next pass happen.
What if we only have ten players?
Run the rondo as two 4v1s, the channel game as 4v4 with two spares who rotate in every two minutes, and the game as 5v5 with the same freeze rule. The habit does not change with the numbers.
How do I coach the Get Big habit from the touchline on Saturday?
Say the habit, not the play. “Get big” helps a player decide; “pass it to Maya” decides for them. The match-day page gives three things to look for: how many seconds until we are big after winning it, whether the wide players are on the touchline, and whether the backs split when the keeper has it.
Is this plan for 9v9 too?
Yes, every game in the book is drawn at 7v7 and 9v9. In the 2-3-3 the wingers give the width and the wide mids tuck inside a little. The U12 plan is drawn for 9v9 and the 2-3-3 guide explains the shape.
U9 drills and games › U10 drills and games ›
More free practice plans
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.