Week 1

Outcomes

• ✓Players can cushion a driven pass with inside, outside, and sole of foot into space
• ✓Players can scan before receiving and take a half-turn first touch away from pressure
• ✓Players can sustain high-tempo technical repetition for 15+ minutes without quality drop
• ✓Players can name the club's core possession principle: receive, turn, play forward

Equipment

• 1 ball per pair
• 20 cones
• 8 disc cones
• 4 pinnies
• 2 full-size goals or 4 mini goals
• coach's whistle
• water bottles

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Two parallel lines of cones 10 yds apart, 15 yds wide. Players in pairs facing each other across the lanes.

   How to run it: Begin with 3 min jogging in pairs passing a ball back and forth at walk pace. Progress through FIFA 11+ sequence: hip circles, walking lunges with rotation, lateral shuffles, high knees, hamstring scoops, and calf raises on the spot. Finish with two 25-yd progressive runs — stride at 60%, then 80% — no sprinting yet. Players stretch hip flexors and adductors in place for 60 seconds each side.

   • ›Full range of motion on every dynamic stretch — no halfhearted swings
   • ›Land softly through the whole foot on the deceleration phase of each run
   • ›Use this time to mentally reset from school — be present on the pitch

2. 2. Technical Practice – First Touch Triangles

   15m

   Set up: Set 4 triangles of cones (3 cones each, sides 5 yds) spread across a 30×25 yd area. Groups of 3 players per triangle; one ball per triangle.

   How to run it: Player A drives a firm pass to B. B must take a first touch outside the triangle and immediately play to C. C plays back to A. After 4 min, add a passive shadow defender who simply stands at one cone to force B to choose the open side. Coach calls 'pressure' to make the shadow close down slightly. Players rotate all positions every 3 min.

   • ›Scan before the ball arrives — know where pressure is coming from
   • ›Open your body on the half-turn so the first touch goes into space, not under your feet
   • ›Weight of the pass matters: too soft means the defender gets there first
   • ›Receive with the far foot to make the turn quicker

3. 3. Skill Game – 4v2 Rondos

   15m

   Set up: Four 8×8 yd grids side by side. 4 attackers vs 2 defenders per grid. Rotate defenders every 90 seconds.

   How to run it: 4 outside players keep possession against 2 defenders in the middle. One-touch and two-touch alternating rounds. If defenders win the ball, the player who lost it swaps in as a defender. Coach calls 'switch' every 45 seconds to inject urgency. Count team consecutive passes to build competitive focus.

   • ›Move to create angles immediately after playing the ball — don't freeze
   • ›When you're a defender, identify the pressing trigger: a heavy touch or a square pass
   • ›Use your body to protect the ball on 1v1 moments — low centre of gravity

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Possession + Lines

   20m

   Set up: 40×30 yd pitch split into 3 horizontal zones. Two teams of 6–7. End zones are scoring zones (1 pt for completing 3 passes in the end zone).

   How to run it: Teams maintain possession to advance into the end zone. Players must complete 5 passes in the middle zone before entering the end zone. Encourage teams to shift as a block and maintain two lines of 3 when defending. Coach freezes play twice to show the defensive shape. After 10 min, reduce the pass requirement to 3 to speed up play.

   • ›Defensive team: hold your line and stay compact — don't chase the ball
   • ›Attacking team: move the ball quickly to draw the press then switch
   • ›Communication is non-negotiable — 'man on', 'turn', 'time'
   • ›Shape your run to receive on the half-turn, not flat-footed

5. 5. Scrimmage – Open Play with Possession Emphasis

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch (or largest available). Two teams of 7–9 with goalkeepers. Normal rules, 2 full-size goals.

   How to run it: Free scrimmage applying session themes. Coach calls brief 60-second 'freeze' moments only when a clear team error happens. Encourage goalkeepers to play out short to a defender rather than kick long. Play two 7-min halves with a 1-min team talk between.

   • ›Apply the first touch principles from training — the game is just a bigger triangle
   • ›GK plays short to the nearest CB: this is how we build from the back

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players in a circle on the grass.

   How to run it: 2 min of static stretching led by a player (quad, hamstring, hip flexor). Coach asks two questions: 'What did we practice today?' and 'What's one thing you'll do differently next time?' One player summarises the session theme for the group.

   • ›Hold each stretch for a full 20 seconds — don't rush the cool-down
   • ›Listening in the circle is part of the team culture we're building

Outcomes

• ✓Players can name and execute the 3-2-5 or 4-3-3 build-up structure from the back
• ✓Players can trigger the build-up with a short GK pass rather than a punt
• ✓Players can recognise when to play through pressure and when to go long
• ✓Players can maintain team shape during ball circulation for at least 4 consecutive passes

Equipment

• 8 balls
• 20 cones
• 8 disc cones
• pinnies (3 colors)
• 2 full-size goals
• 1 portable whiteboard or cones for shape diagrams

Run of show

1. 1. Activation & FIFA 11+ Warm-Up

   15m

   Set up: Two lines of players 15 yds apart across the width of the pitch.

   How to run it: Players pair up and pass the ball while walking through warm-up exercises: inward/outward hip rotations, lateral bounds (3 each side), Nordic hamstring holds in pairs (one partner anchors the ankles), single-leg balance for 10 seconds each leg, and two progressive 30-yd runs. Final 2 min: players jog freely and perform dynamic shoulder and torso rotations to prepare for aerial duels later.

   • ›Nordic holds: keep the body straight — don't let hips flex
   • ›Single-leg balance: feel what ankle stability means before the game demands it
   • ›Progressive runs accelerate smoothly — don't launch from a dead start

2. 2. Technical Practice – GK + Backline Pass Patterns

   15m

   Set up: Half pitch. GK in goal. Two centre-backs at the 18-yd line. Two full-backs wide at the top of the box. One holding midfielder at the halfway line. Cones mark each player's starting position.

   How to run it: GK plays short to the nearest CB. CB plays to the holding midfielder or switches to the opposite CB. The sequence must include at least one switch of play before the ball reaches the midfielder. Run pattern 8 times, then add a passive forward who closes down the CB to simulate a press. Players rotate positions every 5 min.

   • ›CBs and full-backs must create diagonal angles to give the GK options
   • ›When pressed, the CB plays away from pressure — never into it
   • ›Holding mid must drop into a pocket behind the press to be available
   • ›GK: communicate your decision before playing — 'left' or 'right'

3. 3. Phase Game – 5v3 Build-Out

   15m

   Set up: Defensive third of the pitch. 5 attackers (GK + 4 outfield) vs 3 pressuring forwards. Target: play the ball cleanly into a midfielder waiting at the halfway line.

   How to run it: GK starts every sequence. The 5 build-out players must work the ball to the target midfielder in 8 passes or fewer. If the 3 forwards win the ball, they score into a mini goal at the top of the area. Rotate forwards every 3 sequences. Track how many times the team successfully reaches the target midfielder.

   • ›Press trigger for the 3 forwards: the ball goes to the GK's feet — that's when you press
   • ›Build-out team: reset quickly after a loss — don't stand and watch
   • ›Width and depth: at least one player in each wide corridor at all times

4. 4. Conditioned Tactical Game – Build & Attack

   20m

   Set up: Full pitch. Two teams of 8 (including GKs). One team starts in a 4-3 defensive shape; the other in a 4-2-1 attack shape. Switch roles every 5 min.

   How to run it: The attacking team must build from their GK and score. A goal scored after at least 3 passes from the GK counts double. No long balls from the GK allowed for the first 10 min. Coach calls 'freeze' if the defensive team loses its shape — walk through the correct positions. After 15 min, remove the long-ball restriction and allow normal rules.

   • ›Defending team: press as a unit — one forward presses, the other covers
   • ›Attacking team: if you can't go forward, go sideways and reset — no panic
   • ›Midfield player: be the link; show for the ball, turn, play forward
   • ›Full-backs: tuck in defensively, push wide to support in attack

5. 5. Scrimmage – Build-Up Rehearsal

   15m

   Set up: Full pitch, two teams with GKs, normal rules.

   How to run it: Both teams required to complete at least 2 passes from the GK before attacking. Any goal from a long GK kick doesn't count — it's 'no goal' and a goal kick to the other team. Otherwise free play. Coach observes and notes 3 individual players to give specific feedback in the debrief.

   • ›Trust the system — short from the back is faster when everyone's in position
   • ›Celebrate good build-up sequences even if they don't end in a goal

6. 6. Cool-Down & Debrief

   5m

   Set up: Players gathered in a line at the touchline, facing the pitch.

   How to run it: 2 min of light stretching (calf, hamstring, hip flexor). Coach draws the build-up structure on the whiteboard or in cones. Players point out where the team did it well and where it broke down. End with one positive observation about team culture.

   • ›Debrief: players talk first, coach talks last
   • ›No negativity in the circle — critique the action, never the player