Football drills for U10s work best when every player has a ball or a decision to make. These eight U10 drills build close control and dribbling confidence, add passing and turning under light pressure, then finish with counter-attacks and a small-sided game so players transfer the skill into match play. Each drill includes the setup, coaching points and a progression to keep under 10s challenged.
8 football drills for U10s
1. Traffic lights dribbling
Ball mastery and close control
- Set up
- Everyone dribbles inside a 20x20 yard square. On 'red' they stop the ball with the sole, on 'amber' they toe-tap, on 'green' they accelerate into space.
- Coaching points
- Small touches, head up to avoid others, use both feet.
- Make it harder
- Add a turn call so players change direction with the inside and outside of the foot.
2. Four-gate dribble
Dribbling into space and scanning
- Set up
- Four cone gates on the edges of a 20-yard square. Players score a point every time they dribble through a different gate.
- Coaching points
- Pick the free gate, change speed to get away, protect the ball with your body.
- Make it harder
- Add two taggers who try to kick the ball out of the area.
3. Passing diamond with a turn
Passing and receiving on the half turn
- Set up
- A 12-yard diamond. Pass, follow your pass, and receive with the back foot so you can play the next pass in one movement.
- Coaching points
- Open the body before it arrives, inside of the foot, firm along the ground.
- Make it harder
- Two touches maximum, then reverse the direction on a call.
4. 1v1 to two goals
Attacking and defending 1v1
- Set up
- In a 12x10 yard box the attacker tries to score in either of two goals on the end line; the defender wins the ball and counters.
- Coaching points
- Attack the defender at speed, use a feint, defenders stay side-on and be patient.
- Make it harder
- Winner stays on and plays the next challenger straight away.
5. Turning circuit
Turns under light pressure
- Set up
- Dribble 8 yards, perform the called turn (Cruyff, drag back or inside hook), then accelerate back to the start.
- Coaching points
- Get close to the cone before turning, drop the shoulder, explode out of the turn.
- Make it harder
- Add a passive defender at the cone, then make them semi-active.
6. Three-team possession
Keeping the ball as a team
- Set up
- In a 30x25 yard area two teams of four keep the ball from one team of four. Lose it and you swap with the defending team.
- Coaching points
- Spread out, offer angles either side of the defender, pass and move.
- Make it harder
- Limit the outside players to two touches.
7. Counter-attack 3v2
Overloads and quick decisions
- Set up
- Three attackers break from the halfway line against two defenders and a keeper, with 10 seconds to score.
- Coaching points
- Run with the ball to commit a defender, pass at the right moment, get width and support.
- Make it harder
- Drop it to 3v3 so attackers must create the overload themselves.
8. Small-sided game with wide zones
Using the whole pitch
- Set up
- 5v5 on a 40x30 yard pitch with wide channels. A goal counts double if the attack goes through a wide channel first.
- Coaching points
- Look for the switch, get chalk on your boots, cross or cut back with purpose.
- Make it harder
- Remove the double-points rule and play a free game to finish.
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Build one nowWhat U10s actually need from a training session
Under 10s are in the middle of the fastest technical learning window they will ever have. They can already control the ball and pass with some accuracy, but their decision making is still catching up, so they hold the ball too long, all chase it at once, and stop concentrating the moment they are standing still. Your job is not to teach them a system. It is to give them thousands of touches and hundreds of small decisions in an hour.
That means the practice design matters more than the drill name. If your U10s are queuing four deep for a cone, the session has already failed no matter how good the activity looks on paper. Split into two smaller groups running the same practice rather than one big group with a long line.
- One ball between one or two players wherever the practice allows it.
- Maximum three or four players waiting for any turn.
- Change the activity every 10-12 minutes, even if it is going well.
- Every practice should end with a score, a target or a challenge.
- No deliberate heading — this is removed from training at this age in English grassroots football.
How to structure a 60 minute U10 session
Most grassroots U10 teams get one hour on a shared pitch, often arriving in dribs and drabs. This structure assumes exactly that and gets the ball out from the first minute rather than waiting for everyone to arrive.
- 0-10 min — arrival activity: ball each, traffic lights or four-gate dribble. Players join as they turn up.
- 10-22 min — technical practice 1: passing diamond with a turn, or the turning circuit.
- 22-34 min — technical practice 2 with opposition: 1v1 to two goals or counter-attack 3v2.
- 34-46 min — small-sided practice with one constraint, such as the wide-zone double-points rule.
- 46-60 min — free small-sided game. Let them play. Coach quietly, praise attempts, do not stop it every 30 seconds.
Adapting these U10 drills for the numbers who turn up
Grassroots attendance is unpredictable. All eight drills above scale, and none of them break if you are three players short on a wet Tuesday.
- 6 or fewer: drop the three-team possession game, run 1v1s and 3v2 counter-attacks, finish with 3v3.
- 7-10: as written, with one group per practice.
- 11-16: run two identical areas side by side and rotate between them rather than adding players to one grid.
- 17+: use three areas and a fixed rotation whistle every four minutes, or ask a parent to hold one station.
- Uneven numbers: the spare player becomes a permanent attacker who plays for whichever team has the ball.
Common mistakes coaching U10s
Almost every U10 session that goes badly goes badly for one of five reasons, and all five are fixable in the planning rather than on the night.
- Talking too long. Demonstrate in 30 seconds, then let them play and coach inside the practice.
- Unopposed drills for the whole session. Add a defender, even a passive one, as early as you can.
- Coaching outcomes instead of behaviours. Praise the player who tried the turn and lost it.
- Making the area too big. Small areas force more touches, more turns and more decisions.
- Saving the game until the end and then running out of time. Protect the last 15 minutes.
U10 football drill FAQs
What football drills are best for U10s?
U10s learn fastest from drills with a ball each and lots of decisions: dribbling through gates, 1v1s to two goals, a passing diamond with a turn, and small-sided games. Keep every activity under 12 minutes and end the session with a game.
How long should an U10 football training session be?
About 60 minutes: 10 minutes of ball-mastery arrival activity, two 12-minute technical practices, a 12-minute small-sided practice with a constraint, then 15-20 minutes of free game.
How many touches should U10s get?
As many as possible. Use one ball between one or two players wherever you can, keep queues to three or four players, and avoid long lines waiting for a turn.
What is a good warm up for U10s?
Ten minutes with a ball each: dribbling in a square with stop, turn and accelerate calls, then a short game of tag where every player keeps a ball. It raises the heart rate, gets 200-plus touches in before the session proper, and works whether four or fourteen players have arrived.
How many drills should an U10 session have?
Three practices plus a game. Two technical practices of about 12 minutes, one small-sided practice with a constraint, then 15 minutes of free play. Any more than that and you spend the session setting up cones instead of coaching.
Should U10s do heading practice?
No. English grassroots guidance removes deliberate heading from training at this age, so build sessions around dribbling, passing, turning, finishing and small-sided games instead.
More coaching guides
- Football drills for U8s
- Football passing drills
- 1v1 football drills
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