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Free practice plan · Ages 10–11 · 9v9 · 2-3-3A U11 practice plan for 9v9:
Press as a Unit
9v9 gives you enough players to press as a unit. Ninety minutes, twelve to sixteen players, and one rule from the first rondo to the last whistle: lose it, and you have five seconds to win it back. Every activity here is free on this site, with its own page and an animated video.
- Lose it? Five seconds, everybody, win it back.
- Nearest player presses. The next one covers behind.
Bring: Ball each, flat cones for boxes and gates, pinnies in two colors, 2 full-size or mini goals.
Your job: Count out loud in the first rondo, then hand the count to a player.
The session, minute by minute
Five-Second Rondo
Rondo4v2 in a 12x12. When the defenders win the ball they try to keep it inside the square. The four have five seconds, counted out loud, to win it back. Do it and carry on. Fail, and the player who lost it and the player to their right become the defenders. Players start as they arrive.
Win-It-Back Boxes
SharpenSeveral 12x12 boxes, 2v2 in each. Five passes is a point. Lose the ball and you have five seconds to win it back: do it and score two. Sixty-second rounds. Winners move up a box, losers move down. Balls out of the box restart with the team that did not touch it last.
HarderFour passes is a point; a win-back is three.
If it stallsLegs gone? Forty-second rounds and forty seconds rest.
Lock the Middle
Solve4v4 on a 35x30 with a target player on each end line. Three gates across the middle: a center gate 6 yards wide and two wide gates. Score by passing through a gate to your target: center gate 3 points, wide gates 1. Defenders learn to get small and shut the center.
EasierMake the center gate 4 yards wide.
HarderThe target may move along the line. Add a neutral player for the attackers.
If it stallsCenter gate open every time? Freeze and ask the defenders which gate costs the most.
Transition Game
PlayA full 9v9. Nothing marked. One rule. Every time possession changes, the bench calls it: won it, or lost it. Won it: the team has ten seconds to shoot for a double. Lost it: the team has five seconds to win it back for a point. Short of players? Play even teams on a smaller field. The rule stays the same. Water comes before this block, never in the middle of it.
HarderEight seconds and three seconds.
If it stallsNobody calling? Stop the game and let the captains call the next five changes.
Their goal kick
Set pieceThe nearest player presses the first pass and the next one covers behind. Walk it twice, then play it live.
Shorter session?
With 75 minutes, halve Sharpen. With 60, skip it and run Rondo, Solve, Play and the set piece. Never cut Play.
Match day: what to watch for
Three things to look for from the touchline:
- Who goes first when we lose it?
- Does the next player cover behind?
- After five seconds, do we stop chasing and get small?
Questions coaches ask
Can a U11 team press?
Yes, as long as the job stays simple. 9v9 has enough players to press as a unit, and the five-second rule gives them one clear thing to do.
What if nobody reacts when we lose it?
The coach counts loud, then a player counts.
What happens after five seconds?
Stop chasing and get small. Protect the middle and let them go wide.
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.