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How long should kids train?

I coach 3 age groups 5s,6s and 8s. How long should each training session last ? Academy's train for a few hours!

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Sportplan TeamAdministrator, United Kingdom

Hello Lucan,

this is a tricky question to answer without knowing a little more about the level of your players. Generally speaking most children don't specialise in a single sport until they are a little older, so for most the key thing is to ensure players have fun as that is why most will be taking part (so ensure training doesn't drag on too long).

I would recommend you have a look at the resources available on the FA's Youth Development pages - there's lots of excellent advice.

Here's some direct links to some of their resources (PDF):

Hope these help!

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