Kit and space
Football Drills for Small Groups
131 football drills that match this situation, filtered on the equipment and area recorded for each practice.
What do you do when only a few players turn up?
Shrink the pitch and run 2v2 or 3v3 with rotating rest. Never fall back on long queues at one goal.
Half the squad away, a holiday week, or a paid small-group session: these practices are written for groups where ten players is the maximum. Fewer players means more touches and far more individual coaching.
The filter runs against the equipment list and area size stored with every drill, so a practice only appears here if it genuinely fits.
Up to 10 players
High touch count
Individual feedback
45 matching drills
Drill categories on this page
Football Drills for Small Groups
Every card links to the full drill page with numbered set-up steps, the step-by-step sequence, coaching points and progressions.
- Age band
- Under 7 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 10 min
- Area
- 15 x 10 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Ladder
- Focus
- Warm Up
Speed & Agility
FREE
1-to-1 Agility With The Ball
Improve foot speed and change of direction
Beginner / Intermediate
Speed & AgilityDribblingBall Mastery
- Age band
- Under 5 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 14 min
- Area
- 15 x 10 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Mini Goals
- Focus
- Skill Practice
Dribbling
FREE
1-to-1 Attacking Duels
Beat an opponent one against one
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
DribblingAttackingSpeed & Agility
- Age band
- Under 5 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 15 min
- Area
- 8 x 8 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones
- Focus
- Technical Practice
Ball Mastery
FREE
1-to-1 Ball Mastery Clinic
Master a bank of moves through repetition
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
Ball MasteryDribblingFirst Touch
- Age band
- Under 5 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 14 min
- Area
- 15 x 10 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones
- Focus
- Skill Practice
Defending
FREE
1-to-1 Defending Technique
Individual defending shape and footwork
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
DefendingTacklingPressing
- Age band
- Under 8 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 15 min
- Area
- Half of the penalty area
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Mini Goals
- Focus
- Skill Practice
Finishing
FREE
1-to-1 Finishing Session
Groove a repeatable finishing technique
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
FinishingShootingFirst Touch
- Age band
- Under 7 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 15 min
- Area
- 10 x 8 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Rebound Boards
- Focus
- Technical Practice
First Touch
FREE
1-to-1 First Touch Wall Work
Take a directional first touch under time pressure
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
First TouchReceivingPassing
- Age band
- Under 8 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 15 min
- Area
- Goal area
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Full Goals
- Focus
- Technical Practice
Goalkeeping
FREE
1-to-1 Goalkeeper Handling
Sharpen handling and set position
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
GoalkeepingSpeed & AgilityTechnical Practice
- Age band
- Under 5 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 14 min
- Area
- 12 x 8 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Rebound Boards
- Focus
- Technical Practice
Passing
FREE
1-to-1 Passing & Receiving Wall Work
High volume of passes and first touches alone or in a pair
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
PassingReceivingFirst Touch
- Age band
- Under 8 to Adults
- Players
- 1-2
- Time
- 20 min
- Area
- 25 x 15 yards
- Kit
- Balls, Cones, Mini Goals
- Focus
- Technical Practice
Shooting
FREE
1-to-1 Shooting Technique Session
Groove a clean laces strike with both feet
Beginner / Intermediate / Advanced
ShootingFinishingTechnical Practice
Need a complete session, not just drills? Pick your age group, numbers, length and focus and get the whole plan.
Build one nowMore practices that fit
Every drill page has the full set-up, step-by-step instructions, coaching points and progressions.
- Angle Finish Lane — shooting drill, 10 min, Under 6 to Under 12
- Angle of Attack — crossing drill, 11 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Angle Shield — goalkeeping drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Under 16
- Back Pedal Catch — goalkeeping drill, 10 min, Under 7 to Under 16
- Barrier Break — set pieces drill, 10 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Bounce And Burst — small-sided games drill, 10 min, Under 7 to Under 16
- Bounce and Finish — heading drill, 13 min, Under 12 to Adults
- Bounce and Spread — passing drill, 12 min, Under 7 to Adults
- Bounce Finish Box — finishing drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Box Command — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 10 to Adults
- Box Spin Finish — finishing drill, 13 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Box to Goal — attacking drill, 12 min, Under 7 to Under 14
- Catch And Restart — goalkeeping drill, 15 min, Under 9 to Under 16
- Catch And Roll — goalkeeping drill, 10 min, Under 6 to Under 12
- Channel Cushion — first touch drill, 10 min, Under 5 to Adults
- Clear and Reset — heading drill, 12 min, Under 12 to Adults
- Combination Goalkeeper Handling Ladder — goalkeeping drill, 14 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Combination Goalkeeper One-v-One Spread — goalkeeping drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Combination Rebound Wall Touch — first touch drill, 12 min, Under 5 to Adults
- Cone Box Saves — goalkeeping drill, 12 min, Under 8 to Under 16
- Continuous Goalkeeper Handling Ladder — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Continuous Goalkeeper One-v-One Spread — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Continuous Rebound Wall Touch — first touch drill, 14 min, Under 5 to Adults
- Corner Channel 3v2 — defending drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Under 16
- Counter Goalkeeper Handling Ladder — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Counter Goalkeeper One-v-One Spread — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Counter Rebound Wall Touch — first touch drill, 14 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Cross Court Claim — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 12 to Adults
- Dipping Saves — goalkeeping drill, 12 min, Under 9 to Under 16
- End Line Dash — small-sided games drill, 12 min, Under 5 to Under 14
- Endline Express — crossing drill, 10 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Fast Lane Break — transition drill, 15 min, Under 6 to Adults
- Finishing Goalkeeper Handling Ladder — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 8 to Adults
- Finishing Goalkeeper One-v-One Spread — goalkeeping drill, 16 min, Under 9 to Adults
- Finishing Rebound Wall Touch — first touch drill, 14 min, Under 5 to Adults
- First Move Hunt — pressing drill, 10 min, Under 7 to Under 16
Session plans to slot these into
- U10 Passing Session Plan (60 Minutes, Free) — passing & receiving, 12 players, 60 minutes
- U8 Dribbling Session Plan (45 Minutes, Free) — dribbling & 1v1, 10 players, 45 minutes
- U12 Defending Session Plan (75 Minutes, Free) — defending & pressing, 14 players, 75 minutes
Related Football Drills & Sessions
- 1-to-1 Agility With The Ball — speed & agility football drill
- 1-to-1 Attacking Duels — dribbling football drill
- 1-to-1 Ball Mastery Clinic — ball mastery football drill
- U10 Passing Session Plan (60 Minutes, Free)
- U8 Dribbling Session Plan (45 Minutes, Free)
- Explore all football drills by age, topic and squad size
Coaching articles that help here
- How To Give Better Feedback — Five ways to make your feedback land, stick and actually change what a player does next.
- The Art Of Asking Better Questions — Questions turn players into problem solvers. Here is how to ask ones that get real answers.
- How To Plan A Better Training Session — One theme, four phases and a game at the end — the plan that works for almost every grassroots night.
- Coaching Confidence — Practical ways to feel calmer and more assured on the pitch, even when you're new to it.
Common questions
What do you do when only a few players turn up?
Shrink the pitch and run 2v2 or 3v3 with rotating rest. Never fall back on long queues at one goal.
Other kit and space pages
Drills by age group
Browse by squad size
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- Football passing drills
- Football shooting drills
- Football dribbling drills
- Football defending drills
- Football possession drills
- Fun football drills
- Football warm up drills
- Small-sided games
- Goalkeeper drills
- Football rondo drills
- 1v1 football drills
- 1v1 tackling drills
- 2v2 defending drills
- Football session plans
Plan a session with the kit you have
Tell the session builder what equipment is in your bag and it will only use practices you can actually run.
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