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Free practice plan · Ages 13–14 · 11v11 · 4-3-3A U14 practice plan for 11v11:
Win It Back
Lose it, hunt it. Ninety minutes, sixteen to twenty players, and one idea that runs from the first rondo to the last whistle: react first, think second, and the nearest player goes now. Every activity here is free on this site, with its own page and an animated video.
- React first, think second. Nearest player goes now.
- The second and third close the passing lanes.
Bring: Ball each, flat cones for boxes, pinnies in three colors, 2 goals, 2 mini goals.
Your job: Say the principle, not the play. At these ages the players should be running the game.
The session, minute by minute
Five-Second Rondo
RondoA 12x12, 4v2. One extra rule. When the defenders win it, they try to keep it in the square. The four have five seconds, counted out loud, to win it back. Win it back in time and carry on. Fail and the loser and the player to their right go in. Six passes is a point. Players start as they arrive.
HarderThree seconds.
If it stallsNobody reacting? The coach counts loud, then a player counts.
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.
Win and Go
SolveA 20x15 with a mini goal at each end. 3v3. Whichever team wins the ball must reach the far goal inside eight seconds. A goal inside the eight seconds counts double. Restart from the coach after every score. Run it in rounds, and add the first progression when it gets easy.
HarderSix seconds.
If it stallsNobody going forward? Every backward pass after a win costs a second.
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. Play it 11v11 if you have the numbers. 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?
- Do the second and third close the passing lanes?
- After five seconds, do we stop chasing and get small?
Questions coaches ask
What if nobody reacts when we lose it?
The coach counts loud, then a player counts.
What if the players’ legs go in the boxes?
Forty-second rounds and forty seconds rest.
How do we press as a whole team?
This plan is about the first five seconds. For the team press, start with the 4-3-3 pressing guide.
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.