Session Plan · training

First Attacking: U6-U8 (45 Min)

A forty-five minute session for the very youngest players, roughly under-6 to under-8, on the first and most important attacking idea there is: get the ball, run at the goal, and have a go. Everything is short, everyone has a ball or is in a small game, and nobody is ever knocked out. It builds from everyone dribbling, through running with the ball, to a brave run at goal, and finishes with the game they should actually play, a four against four with no goalkeepers.

45minutes

Mediumintensity

5blocks

5animated drills

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First Attacking: U6-U8 (45 Min)45 min · 5 blocks · 5 drills · medium intensity · training

11'

23'

34'

45'

Everyone on a ball

Dribble Gates10'

Run with the ball

Running with the Ball10'

Run at goal and have a go

Run at Goal and Have a Go12'

Play the game

4v4 to Goals, No Keepers10'

Finish and smile

Cool-Down Jog and Stretch3'

1 · activationEveryone on a ball10 min · medium

Objective: Start instantly, every child touching a ball

Coach note: Get them moving before you explain anything, then add a word while they dribble. Every child on their own ball is the single most valuable thing at this age, so keep it going and do not stop the group to correct one player. Good is heads coming up now and then, and lots of touches.

Dribble Gates10'

dribbling · 1 players

Every child on a ball, moving from the first second. Coach on the move, do not stop the group.

Open full drill

2 · technicalRun with the ball10 min · medium

Objective: Learn to carry the ball forward at speed

Coach note: Running with the ball is a different thing from dribbling in tight space, and it is the one that lets a young player attack the goal, so coach fewer and bigger touches with the head coming up. Keep the queues tiny by running several lanes at once, and make it a race against themselves rather than each other so nobody feels slow.

Running with the Ball10'

dribbling · 2 players

Bigger touches, head up, run onto it. Several lanes at once so nobody queues.

Open full drill

3 · tacticalRun at goal and have a go12 min · high

Objective: Be brave and attack the goal

Coach note: The one message is be brave, and passing is offered as an option rather than the answer, because a child coached to pass whenever a team-mate is free learns to give the ball away and never learns to beat anyone. So celebrate the attempt to run at the defender whether it comes off or not, and react loudly and happily to every shot, in or out, since there is no shooting too early at this age. Rotate the defender every go so nobody is stuck, and run several small groups at once so nobody watches.

Run at Goal and Have a Go12'

finishing · 3 players

Be brave is the only message. Celebrate every shot and every attempt to beat the defender.

Open full drill

4 · gamePlay the game10 min · high

Objective: Play four against four, everyone in the game

Coach note: This is the biggest block on purpose, since the game is the best teacher at this age. No keeper and no positions, so every child is in it the whole time and nobody can hide. What looks like a swarm around the ball is fine and sorts itself out with time, so resist the urge to spread them out. Keep the games short, four or five minutes, and rotate the teams so everyone plays with and against everyone. Never knock anyone out, and if you have more than eight children, run two games side by side rather than have anyone wait.

4v4 to Goals, No Keepers10'

possession · 8 players

Short games, rotate the teams, no keepers, no eliminations. Let the swarm sort itself out.

Open full drill

5 · recoveryFinish and smile3 min · low

Objective: End happy

Coach note: Keep this very short and make it about how much fun it was, because at this age the single most important outcome is that they want to come back. Ask one child what they enjoyed or a goal they scored, and finish there. Cool-down has no physical benefit here, so this exists purely for the smile and the goodbye.

Cool-Down Jog and Stretch3'

conditioning · 4 players

Very short and happy. The smile and the goodbye are the whole point.

Open full drill

Duration

45 min

Intensity

medium

Focus

Running at goal and having a go

Session philosophy

The theme, the principles, and the outcomes you should see in players by the final whistle.

Session theme

Running at goal and having a go

Session day type: training

Key principles

Everybody has a ball, or everybody is playing
Be brave, run at the goal and have a go
Nobody is ever knocked out of a game
Dribbling and shooting, not tactics

Learning outcomes

Every child gets a very high number of touches
Children run straight at a defender and the goal rather than turning back
Children have a go at goal whenever they can see it
Everyone is involved the whole session, with no queues and no eliminations

Related session plans

Move between similar plans when you want a different day type, intensity, or age group.

Reading the Game: U16-U19 (90 Min)

90 min · 5 blocks · 7 drills

Falling in Love with the Ball: U6-U8 (45 Min)

45 min · 5 blocks · 6 drills

Scoring Goals: U6-U8 Finishing (45 Min)

45 min · 5 blocks · 5 drills

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First Attacking: U6-U8 (45 Min)

45minutes

Mediumintensity

5blocks

5animated drills