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Home/Training Drills/Possession Drills/7v7: Playing Out From the Build-Out Line
PossessionIntermediate

7v7: Playing Out From the Build-Out Line

Use the space the rule gives you. Roll or throw the ball out to a defender, get angles either side of the keeper, receive on the half-turn, and carry or pass the ball past the build-out line under the press that follows.

Create your own drill
Live animationPOS
Duration
14 min
Total drill time
Players
6
Recommended
Pitch
30 × 24 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
7v7

Setup & instructions

Mark the build-out line midway between the top of the box and halfway. When the keeper has the ball, the opposition retreats behind it until the ball is in play (a second player touches it or it crosses the line). The keeper rolls or throws to a defender, never punts. Defenders spread wide, a midfielder drops in, and the team plays out and past the line. Once it is live, the press is live too.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Few rules in youth football exist to teach something rather than to regulate it. The build-out line does. The opposition must retreat behind it at a goal kick or a keeper's possession, which manufactures a moment of genuine space that would never occur naturally, specifically so that young teams can practise playing out without being punished for it. Most teams then waste it by hoofing the ball long anyway.

Using it starts with the defenders' positions. They split wide and high enough to give the keeper an actual angle, which feels uncomfortably far apart to a nine-year-old and is the point. Two defenders standing near the posts give the keeper nothing but a straight ball down the middle.

Roll or throw it rather than kicking it. Accuracy matters more than distance here and a rolled ball is easier to control, and it should go to the defender's back foot so he can open up and face the pitch instead of receiving square with the touchline behind him.

A third option is what stops it becoming a two-player exercise. One midfielder drops in, so the keeper has three choices rather than two, and the pressing team cannot cover them all when they arrive.

The part to rehearse is what happens as the press arrives, because the space evaporates the instant the ball crosses the line. Players should already know whether they are carrying or passing before the first touch, since deciding afterwards means deciding while somebody is running at them.

Worth telling players plainly: the rule gives you a few seconds nobody else in football gets. Use them.

How to run this drill

  1. Understand the rule is there to teach. The opposition must retreat, which manufactures space that would never occur naturally. Hoofing it long declines the offer.
  2. Split the defenders wide and high. Far enough to give the keeper a real angle. It feels uncomfortably wide to a nine-year-old, and that discomfort is correct.
  3. Roll or throw it, do not kick it. Accuracy beats distance in this situation, and a rolled ball is far easier for a young defender to bring under control.
  4. Deliver it to the back foot. So he can open up and face the pitch. To the front foot he receives square with the touchline behind him and no options.
  5. Drop a midfielder in as a third option. Two players is a pattern the pressing team can cover. Three is an arithmetic problem for them as they arrive.
  6. Decide carry or pass before receiving. The space disappears the moment the ball crosses the line, so deciding afterwards means deciding with somebody running at you.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Defenders split wide and high enough to give the keeper an angle
  • Roll or throw it, and to the defender's back foot so he can open up
  • A midfielder drops in to give a third option, never leave two
  • Receive on the half-turn so you can see the pitch, not your own goal
  • Carry it past the line if nobody presses, that is a free ten metres

Common mistakes

  • Defenders standing too narrow or too flat, so there is no angle
  • Keeper rolling it straight at a defender's feet under pressure
  • Receiving square-on and having to play backwards
  • Rushing the pass when carrying past the line was on

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Press becomes live the moment the keeper releases it
  • Ball must be played through a central midfielder before crossing the line
  • Add a third presser to make the picture harder

Regressions

  • Pressers stay behind the line for two extra seconds
  • Add a spare defender so the overload is clear
  • Unlimited touches while the shape is learned
Equipment
Cones×2
Full Goals×1
Markers×3
Tactical principles
build out line7v7 playing outyouth football rulesgoalkeeper distributionsplitting defendersreceiving on the back footu9 possession drillplaying out under pressurethird option midfieldersmall sided football
Audience
U9-U107v7

Make it yours

Save this drill to your private library, then tweak the animation, swap equipment, or drop it into a session.

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LIBRARY
All Possession drillsAll drill collectionsPossession for U9-U10Possession for 7v7

Ready to run this drill?

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For
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