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Free practice plan · Ages 13–14 · 11v11 · 4-3-3A U14 soccer practice plan:
build against the press
This is Week 3, MD-3 of the Full Season Travel Curriculum for ages 13 to 18, the tactical session of the match week. The block is build-up and the principle is Look First: check your shoulder before the ball arrives, and know the picture before you receive. Ninety minutes at medium intensity, sixteen to twenty players, three days before the game.
- Center backs split to the edge of the box; full-backs push to halfway.
- The six drops between the center backs when they press with two.
Bring: Ball each, two goals, 2 mini goals, flat cones in two colors, pinnies in three colors, tall cones for the rondo helper.
Your job: Say the principle, not the play. At these ages the players should be running the game; count your instructions while the ball is rolling and halve them by week 12.
The session, minute by minute
6v3 With a Call
RondoA 15x15, 6v3. A helper outside holds up one to five fingers; every receiver calls the number before the first touch. No call, no count. Eight counted passes is a point. Defenders swap on a win. The 4v1 version is here with a video.
Build-up pattern
SharpenHalf a pitch. Keeper, two center backs, two full-backs, the six and one eight, unopposed. Pattern A: keeper to center back, center back to full-back, full-back inside to the eight on the half-turn, eight forward to a target on halfway. Pattern B: keeper to center back, center back to the six who drops, six to the far full-back. Rotate every eight balls.
EasierWalk it first.
HarderOne touch for the six and the eight.
If it stallsPattern mechanical? Add a passive presser on the six: now the players choose A or B.
Build against the press
Phase of playA 70x60 phase. Keeper, back four, three midfielders and the striker (9) build from a goal kick against a full 4-3-3 press (10). Score by reaching either winger, who waits in a wide end zone past halfway, with the ball under control. Pressers score in the goal. Ten goal kicks each side. The clip shows the half-field version from 100 Possession Activities.
EasierPressers start on halfway.
HarderPressers press from the edge of the box on the first pass.
If it stallsEverything going long? The keeper may only roll or pass along the ground for one round.
11v11, 3 x 8 minutes
PlayEvery goal kick is played short. A goal that started from a short goal kick and had eight or more passes counts double. Shape: 4-3-3 building as a 2-3-5 with the full-backs high.
Goal kicks and building from the keeper
Set pieceOur goal kicks. Center backs to the corners of the box, full-backs to halfway, six in the D, eights in the pockets. The keeper picks the free one. Walk it, then ten live against six pressers.
The rest of the match week
MD-4, two days earlier, is the hard day: rondos, transition games and small-sided at full speed. MD-2 is sharp and light: finishing, the walkthrough and the set pieces for Saturday. If you train twice a week, run MD-4 and MD-2 and move this phase of play into MD-4's Play block once a fortnight. The four decisions this session trains are explained in the 4-3-3 build-up guide.
Match day: what to watch for
The habit to watch this week is 2 · Look first. Three things to look for from the touchline:
- Do the center backs split and the full-backs push before the goal kick?
- Does the receiver look before the ball arrives?
- When the first pass is on, do we take it?
Halftime, two questions, then listen:
- Keeper: who was free on the last goal kick?
- Where did the press come from, and where was the space?
Questions coaches ask
What does MD-3 mean?
Match day minus three: the session three days before the game. The 11v11 curriculum names sessions by their distance from the match because the load has to fall as the game approaches. MD-4 is hard, MD-3 is tactical, MD-2 is sharp and light, MD-1 is rest.
We only train twice a week. Which sessions do we run?
MD-4 and MD-2, and move the phase of play from this session into MD-4's Play block every other week. Do the walkthrough in the first ten minutes of MD-2. The principles do not change; only the minutes do.
How many players does the phase of play need?
Twenty: nine builders plus a keeper, and ten pressers. With sixteen, drop a presser and a winger from each side and keep the end zones. With fewer than fourteen, run Beat the First Line on half a field instead.
Is this the 4-2-3-1 session too?
The 4-2-3-1 edition has the same five blocks with two staggered pivots instead of a six and the switch running through the higher pivot. The 4-2-3-1 guide explains what changes.
U13 drills and games › U14 drills and games › U15 and older drills and games ›
More free practice plans
A full match week, every week, for twelve weeks
The Full Season Travel Curriculum for ages 13 to 18 is the game model in six pages, 36 sessions built around MD-4, MD-3 and MD-2, twelve match-day pages, set pieces and the 35-minute warm-up. Two editions: 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1.