U13 Pre-Season — Week 5

Two parallel rondos. Run the standard 6 minutes, then 4 minutes one-touch only. By week 5 the squad should handle one-touch rondos cleanly — that's the technical baseline for match-realistic work.

Run the full progression including 100% pace defender. Players should handle pressure cleanly by week 5. If composure breaks, return to the 5-second timer for 4 minutes, then back to 3-second.

Run 5 rounds of 4 minutes, each with a different constraint covering all the season themes: passing, first touch, defending, dribbling, shooting. By round 5 the squad should be applying multiple themes naturally — that's the integration test.

Move to a larger pitch (40×25 yards). Add full goals + keepers (rotate 1-2 outfield players in goal). Free play, no constraints. This is the first match-realistic environment of the pre-season — players should look like a team.

Closing circle. Brief, simple debrief: 'are we ready for the friendly?' Listen to player responses honestly. Squad self-assessment is part of the maturation.