Football drills for 11 year olds

1. Rondo 5v2 with targets

Passing under pressure with a purpose

Set up

Five players keep the ball from two defenders in a 12x12 yard square. A point for eight passes, and a bonus point for splitting the two defenders with a pass.

Coaching points

Open your body, play the pass that moves the defenders, offer an angle after every pass.

Make it harder

Two touches maximum, then add a third defender.

2. Press in pairs

Learning to press together

Set up

4v4 in a 30x25 yard area. Before each round, agree a pressing trigger with your partner: a bad touch, a backwards pass or a square pass.

Coaching points

One presses the ball, the partner blocks the easy pass, communicate the trigger out loud.

Make it harder

Score two points for winning the ball within five seconds of the trigger.

3. Wall pass to goal

Combination play in the final third

Set up

Attacker plays a wall pass around a mannequin 20 yards from goal, receives the return and shoots within two touches. Rotate the wall player every two balls.

Coaching points

Firm first pass, sprint round the defender, compose the body before the finish.

Make it harder

Make the mannequin a live defender who can win the return pass.

4. 3v3 plus goalkeepers

Finishing with real pressure

Set up

3v3 on a 35x25 yard pitch with a keeper in each goal. Coach serves a new ball the moment one goes dead.

Coaching points

Shoot early when the keeper is unsighted, support the player on the ball, react to rebounds.

Make it harder

A goal directly from a one-two counts double.

5. Defend the box 2v2

Defending as a pair

Set up

Two defenders protect a goal against two attackers 18 yards out, with a server playing balls in. Defenders score by clearing to the server's target cones.

Coaching points

One presses, one covers, stay side on, show the attacker away from goal.

Make it harder

Add a third attacker so defenders must constantly pass players on.

6. Switch and attack

Switching play to create space

Set up

5v5 on a 40x30 yard pitch split into three vertical channels. A goal only counts if the ball has been in at least two channels in the build-up.

Coaching points

Draw the defence to one side, switch quickly, receive on the back foot in the new channel.

Make it harder

Remove the channel lines and see if the habit survives without them.

7. Counter-attack waves

Fast breaks from defending to attacking

Set up

3v2 attacks one goal; the moment it ends, the two defenders plus a waiting teammate counter 3v2 the other way against a recovering defender.

Coaching points

First thought forward, run beyond the ball, finish inside ten seconds.

Make it harder

Add a second recovering defender so the counter must be even quicker.

8. 9v9 principles game

Team shape for the step up to 9v9

Set up

A match on a 9v9-sized pitch with one simple team rule per half: stay compact without the ball in the first half, spread out with the ball in the second.

Coaching points

Coach the rule at restarts only, praise players who spot it themselves.

Make it harder

Let the players choose the third half's rule and explain why.

What football drills suit 11 year olds?

Eleven year olds are ready for opposed practices with real decisions: rondos with targets, pressing in pairs, wall passes to goal, 3v3 with keepers and counter-attack waves. Keep everything competitive and finish with a match.

How long should an U11-U12 training session be?

60 to 75 minutes is ideal. Use a ball-each warm up, one technical practice, one or two opposed practices and at least 15 minutes of a game at the end.

What should you coach at 11 years old?

Technique under pressure plus simple team ideas: pressing triggers, supporting the player on the ball, switching play and counter-attacking. Players this age can handle two or three coaching points per practice.

When do players move from 7v7 to 9v9?

In England the step up to 9v9 comes at U11 and U12, with size 4 balls, bigger goals and offside introduced. Use practices like switch and attack and the 9v9 principles game to prepare them for the extra space.

How do I challenge stronger players in a mixed group?

Use touch limits, weaker-foot conditions or tighter areas for the stronger players, and pair them against each other in opposed practices. Every drill on this page has a progression for exactly this.