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Under 10s · football (soccer) drills

U10 football drills: one for tonight, six for the season

Need a drill for your U10s tonight? Run six-goal lockdown: eight players, six goals or cone gates, and it's set up in two minutes. Below are six U10 drills with diagrams and coaching points, and a 60-minute session if you want the whole night planned.

  • 60-75minute sessions
  • 7v7England and US
  • 6drills with diagrams
See the session planJump to the drills

U10 at a glance

  • England match format7v7 (U9s now stay at 5v5 from 2026/27).
  • US match format7v7 with a build-out line.
  • Session length60 to 75 min
  • Coaching focusBigger pitches reward receiving on the half turn and playing forward.
Need one drill for tonight?Six-goal lockdown

Dribbling, turning and looking up, with a simple rule that stops players scoring in the same goal twice. 8 players, 15 minutes.

Jump to the drill ↓
What to expect

What under 10s need

The FA’s four corners, with technical and tactical split, because at this age they need very different amounts of attention.

Technical

Often called the golden age for learning skills. Receiving on the half turn, passing over different distances, 1v1 attacking and defending, finishing.

Tactical

Small-unit ideas: support angles, width, creating space, pressure and cover. Try different positions rather than fixing them.

Physical

Coordination is easy to build now. Speed and agility through games. Some children start growing early.

Psychological

More self-aware and more likely to compare themselves with others. They can handle more detail and good questions.

Social

Team identity grows and peer opinion matters. Give responsibility: setting up, leading a warm-up, captain for the night.

How coaching changes from U5 to U18 →

Session plan · 60 minutes

A 60-minute U10 session

Play, Practice, Play, with a theme of beating players and playing forward. How Play, Practice, Play works.

Play · 15 minSix-goal lockdownPractice · 15 minPassing to play forwardPractice · 15 minBeat the player 1v1Play · 15 minPurposeful possession game

Play: gamesPractice: one theme, lots of repetition

6 drills with diagrams

U10 drills

Every drill comes from The Coaching Manual, where you’ll find the full version with an animation. Areas are in metres or yards: near enough is fine.

Diagram: Six-goal lockdown
Diagram from The Coaching Manual · By Lee Fletcher
Drill 1 · In the session plan

Six-goal lockdown

Dribbling, turning and looking up, with a simple rule that stops players scoring in the same goal twice.

  • 15 min
  • Area 25 x 25
  • 8 players
  • 6 mini-goals or cone gates, bibs, balls

How it works

  1. Scatter six goals around the area. Cone gates work if you don't have goals.
  2. Attackers score in any goal, but once they have used a goal it is locked until they score in a different one.
  3. If defenders win the ball they attack with the same rule.

Coaching points

  • Eyes up. Find the open goals, the space and where the defenders are.
  • Close control. Keep the ball close and hide it from defenders.
  • Turn out of trouble. When a defender closes you down, turn away and find another goal.
Make it easier or harder

Make it easier

  • Use fewer defenders so players get more goes.

Open the full drill with animation in TCMPremium

Diagram: Beat the player 1v1
Diagram from The Coaching Manual · By Jake Gardner
Drill 2 · In the session plan

Beat the player 1v1

A 1v1 where the attacker has to combine with a target player as well as beat a defender. It builds real game decisions.

  • 20 min
  • Area 24 x 18
  • 8 players
  • Mini-goal, 6 cones, bibs, balls

How it works

  1. Mark a halfway line. Defenders start on it, attackers start behind the goal, and a target player waits at the far end.
  2. The defender passes to the attacker, who tries to dribble over halfway, combine with the target and then score in the mini-goal.
  3. If the defender wins the ball, they score by dribbling over the line at the other end.
  4. Rotate roles after every go.

Coaching points

  • First touch away. Take your first touch away from the defender's line into space.
  • Dribble on a diagonal. Use laces, inside and outside to shift the ball.
  • Timing the move. Do your move about one big step from the defender. Too far away and they can read it.
  • Run into space. Once you are past, take bigger touches and attack the space.
Make it easier or harder

Make it harder

  • Add a second mini-goal so the defender can score in either.
  • The target player joins in to make it 2v1.
  • Use halfway as an offside line.

Open the full drill with animation in TCMFree to view

Diagram: Passing to play forward
Diagram from The Coaching Manual · By James Baxter
Drill 3 · In the session plan

Passing to play forward

Getting the ball through a crowded middle area, which is exactly what U10s need to do on a bigger 7v7 pitch.

  • 15 min
  • Area 10 x 10
  • 8 players
  • 8 cones, bibs, balls

How it works

  1. Two teams. Teammates stand on opposite cones, with two from each team in the middle.
  2. The team with the ball must get it through the middle to a teammate on the opposite cone. A middle player can drop out to receive.
  3. The two defenders in the middle try to win it. If they do, their team attacks.

Coaching points

  • Half turn. Stand side-on so you can see the passer and where you want to play next.
  • Look around. Know where space, teammates and defenders are before the ball arrives.
  • Play forward. Combine quickly and be brave enough to receive under pressure.
Make it easier or harder

Make it easier

  • Add a floating player to make 3v2.

Make it harder

  • Make it 3v3 in the middle in the same space.

Open the full drill with animation in TCMPremium

Diagram: Dribbling and turning square
Diagram from The Coaching Manual
Drill 4

Dribbling and turning square

Dribble into a defended box and escape out of a different side. Great for turns and close control under pressure.

  • 20 min
  • Area 25 x 25 with an 8 x 8 square in the middle
  • 11 players
  • 8 cones, bibs, 3 balls

How it works

  1. Groups of three attackers, plus two defenders locked in the central square.
  2. Player A passes to B, who dribbles into the square and out of a different side, then passes to C.
  3. Rotate so every player goes through the middle. Change defenders regularly.

Coaching points

  • One touch per step. In tight spaces, touch the ball every step. Take a bigger touch only when there is space ahead.
  • Both feet. Use different surfaces to move the ball and disguise where you are going.
  • Scan, then turn. Look before receiving and choose the right turn for the space you have.
Make it easier or harder

Make it easier

  • One defender.
  • Defenders throw bibs at the ball instead of tackling.
  • Bigger square.

Make it harder

  • Defenders score a point if they win it and dribble out.
  • Add a third defender.
  • Shrink the area to 20 x 20.

Open the full drill with animation in TCMPremium

Diagram: Finishing from three positions
Diagram from The Coaching Manual · By James Baxter
Drill 5

Finishing from three positions

Three types of finish in one practice: an early strike, a 1v1 and a 2v1.

  • 25 min
  • Area 25 x 20
  • 10 players
  • Goal and goalkeeper, 3 cones, bibs, 10 balls

How it works

  1. Three starting cones, A, B and C, facing one goal with a goalkeeper.
  2. A takes one touch and shoots early, then becomes a defender.
  3. B dribbles at A and finishes 1v1, then becomes the defender.
  4. C comes in with A to make a 2v1. Rotate starting cones.

Coaching points

  • Power or placement. From distance, hit it hard. Past the defender and 1v1 with the keeper, pass it in.
  • Half turn. Receive side-on so you can face the defender.
  • Make half a yard. You don't always need to beat the defender. A shift is enough to shoot. Use both feet.
Make it easier or harder

Make it easier

  • No defender: just work on finishing technique.

Make it harder

  • Player C goes past a cone and crosses for A.
  • Make it 2v2.

Open the full drill with animation in TCMFree to view

Diagram: Purposeful possession game
Diagram from The Coaching Manual
Drill 6 · In the session plan

Purposeful possession game

A game that rewards building through the thirds rather than kicking it long.

  • 15 min
  • Area 30 x 25, split into three zones
  • 10 players
  • 6 mini-goals, bibs, 1 ball

How it works

  1. Three goals at each end and the pitch split into three zones.
  2. The ball must go through every zone before a team can score. That applies to both teams.
  3. No corners or throw-ins: you feed a new ball in. Keep score.

Coaching points

  • Decide. Play sideways or back to find the free player, then go forward when it's on.
  • Receive well. Move at an angle away from the defender, side-on, and receive on the back foot.
  • Make the pitch big. Length, depth and width move the defenders around.

Open the full drill with animation in TCMPremium

Common question

U10s are skill hungry. Make the most of it

Nine and ten-year-olds pick up skills faster than at almost any other age. Coordination improves quickly, they can follow more detail and they want to get better. That makes U10 a brilliant age to coach, as long as sessions stay active.

  1. Lots of 1v1s. Attacking and defending 1v1 is the foundation for everything that comes later.
  2. Receive to play forward. The 7v7 pitch is big enough to reward a side-on body shape and a forward first touch.
  3. Ask, don't tell. “Where was the space?” gets better learning than telling them where it was.
  4. Rotate positions. Every player should try every position, including in goal.
  5. Both feet, every session. Build it into the rules: goals with the weaker foot count double.

Questions coaches ask

What's a good soccer drill for U10s tonight?

Six-goal lockdown. Scatter six goals or cone gates, play 4v4, and once a team scores in a goal it's locked until they score in another. It works on dribbling, turning and looking up, and needs almost no explanation.

How long should a U10 training session be?

Between 60 and 75 minutes, mostly games and game-like practices.

What format do U10s play?

7v7 in both England and the US. In the US, 7v7 uses a build-out line.

What should U10s be working on?

Close control, 1v1s, receiving on the half turn, passing over different distances and finishing. Tactically, simple ideas like width and support angles.

Other ages

Drills for every age

Pick an age to see its drills and session plan, or read what to expect at each age.

U5U6U7U8U9U10U11U12U13U14U15U16U17U18

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