Technical-phase drills

The middle of the session — fundamentals with intent.

Technical-phase drills bridge the warm-up and the small-sided game. Repetitions with feedback, but always with a purpose — the technique should connect to a behaviour you want to see in the game.

3 drills · Ages U7–U18 · 5v5 · 7v7 · 9v9 · 11v11

Age
Phase
Setup
Two-Player Passing · U7–U1012

Two-Player Passing

The simplest possible passing pattern, but the one most U7-U10 players actually need. Repetition with feedback on t…

U7–U10 5v5 + Technical Passing⚡ 1 min
1 min setup · 8 min run · 8 ideal players
Passing Triangles · U10–U131231

Passing Triangles

The constant follow-the-pass movement forces players to scan before receiving — they can't stand still and wait for…

U10–U13 7v7 + Technical Passing⚡ 1 min
1 min setup · 12 min run · 9 ideal players
Passing Diamonds · U13+1234

Passing Diamonds

The two-ball constraint forces what the modern game demands: scanning before receiving, decisions made early, commu…

U13–U18 9v9 + Technical Passing
2 min setup · 14 min run · 12 ideal players

About technical-phase drills

The technical phase is where coaches can be most useful. Fix one thing per session. Demo it once. Run the drill, give feedback, run it again. Don't over-coach — let players make mistakes and self-correct where they can. The drills here isolate specific techniques without losing match-realistic context.