The three pillars
Technical/skill (40% of training focus)
Ball mastery, first touch, passing, dribbling, finishing. Foundation everything else is built on.
Tactical (40% of training focus)
Shape, positioning, pressing triggers, defensive lines, transition. How to play together.
Physical/fitness (20% of training focus)
Aerobic capacity, explosive power, recovery. The engine.
Sample 3-session week (U11–U13)
Monday (60 min): Technical session
Warm-up (10): Dynamic movement + ball touch
Drill (20): Passing/receiving focus (rondo, passing triangles)
Game (25): 5v5 possession (emphasizes ball retention)
Cool-down (5): Walk it out, feedback
Wednesday (60 min): Tactical session
Warm-up (10): Light, game-prep focused
Shape work (15): Shadow play or basic defensive shape drill
Small-sided (30): 7v7 emphasizing one tactical pattern (pressing, shape, transition)
Cool-down (5): Debrief the pattern
Saturday (70 min): Match + fitness
Warm-up (15): Match prep
Match (50): Full 9v9 or 11v11
Cool-down (5)
If you only have 2 sessions/week
Session 1 (Monday, 60 min): Technical + fitness
Skill drill (20) → small-sided game (30) → sprint finisher (10)
Session 2 (Saturday): Match day (70 min)
Warm-up → match → cool-down
Not ideal (no dedicated tactical work), but better than random drills.
Common mistake: too much drilling, not enough game
Coaches often spend 40 minutes on drills and 10 on game-play. Flip it. Game is where learning happens. Drills are prep. Spend 20 minutes on targeted drill, 25 minutes on game where the drill applies.