Football: find space

I run a team of under 9's and although they are not letting many goals in they struggle to score goals could anyone improve this for me.

Ask a question and have it answered by Coaches from around the world and Sportplan's team of Experts.

Hi i coach an under 13s side and they play great pass and move football but we are weak when defending does anyone know any decent defence drills where they are required to work as a unit

I want to avoid young players standing waiting to do a drill (Cue). I have usually 10 -12 players at training 10-13 yr olds. Could u list a few possession/passing type drills that involve all of them at once.

My senior lads, have the best ability and understand the basics of team play in training, but on the pitch they panic and try to get the ball to strikers as quick as they can. This stops our midfield attacking. we only play a 4-5-1 so we should be strong in the midfield but they just seem to be defending all the time. How can i fix this?

Team keep getting thrashed every week - where to start? Having been the sole coach/manager of a little league team for the past two years, this year I lost all my senior players. I was therefore presented with 10 brand new lads, some of whom have never played competitive football. We are 8 games in and my lads are getting thrashed every week. The main problems are that they cannot get the ball out of their half, positions are usually a mess, finishing and chance creation are non-existent, and they don't apply any pressure or are unable to tackle. The main problems are keeping the ball as a team, getting it in the opponents half and staying there, and creating/finishing chances. I only have 1 and a half hours a week with them. I don't really know what to do, and I'm a little desperate. Does anybody have any advice? Thanks for literally anything.

What is the best warm up routine for U9 boys before a game? Thanks Coach Heath

i coach 35 u7s and trying to keep them all entertained is a challenge! We train in a sports hall and divide this into 4 quarters and try to have 4 different drills going but anyone got 4 good games to keep them interested. Its tough having lots of kids of all abilities but its a good challenge!

Any tips on teaching u8s how to find space passing and moving Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

This is my first season managing under 8 team , some of my boys play as individuals and look for personal glory i.e. Scoring goals , how do I get them into the habit of passing to a team mate in a better position and thinking of the team first. Asked using Sportplan Mobile App

this is a great game for the start of our session. we are now asking our players to be looking up and looking forward to find space.

whats the key teaching points

what drills would I do to improve my ball control

Hello all! My kids aged 9 and 7 are very slow when compared to their peers of the same age. They don't seem to fight for the ball and get and watch others play their game. They seem to lack the urgency (heart) needed for the game. (They LOVE football). How can make them move around and react faster. Any help you are able to provide is greatly appreciated. Thanks O

Team keep getting thrashed every week - where to start? Having been the sole coach/manager of a little league team for the past two years, this year I lost all my senior players. I was therefore presented with 10 brand new lads, some of whom have never played competitive football. We are 8 games in and my lads are getting thrashed every week. The main problems are that they cannot get the ball out of their half, positions are usually a mess, finishing and chance creation are non-existent, and they don't apply any pressure or are unable to tackle. The main problems are keeping the ball as a team, getting it in the opponents half and staying there, and creating/finishing chances. I only have 1 and a half hours a week with them. I don't really know what to do, and I'm a little desperate. Does anybody have any advice? Thanks for literally anything.

Does anybody had make any session based on the topic creating space for yourself to receive the ball ?if yes would it mind sharing it with me ?Yousef Best regards

I coach a school girls 1st football team. In terms of having training intensity as we head into championship round, is there any drills or advice you can give me for ideas? I tell them to train during a drill like it's a game but think they need some other form to replicate an intense environment.

I run a team of under 9's and although they are not letting many goals in they struggle to score goals could anyone improve this for me.

Hi all, I've just started coaching a soccer team of 4 and 5 year olds and would like to discuss with my fellow coaches any drills which you have found to be safe, fun and valuable to the younger age group. I have my level 1 course under my belt and have difficulty in applying what I've learnt to the small kids. They get bored very quickly and are only interested in playing a match at the end of the session. They have no interest in passing the ball or shooting at goal whilst doing drills. Running with the ball is no problem as they are keeping active and all have a ball at their feet. As soon as they line up or have to share a ball, there are problems. I have a variety of drills which I run through with them, traffic lights, robin hood, alamo, sharks and fishes to name a few with variations of each but I crave more as everywhere I search caters for U6 upwards. I coach an U8 side midweek and have no problem with these lads as they are that bit older and have a greater level of concentration. (not by much mind). So I'm asking for advice from anyone who has coached 4 and 5 YOs and would like to know what has worked for you. PM replies welcome.  Marc

We have been promoted to a higher league this of which I think the kids thoroughly deserve. I've one concern though, at this age you find a number of boys that have experienced growth spurts and are usually disproportionally bigger (not technically better). I find with these games my boys get pushed off the ball and struggle to cope with the strength of these boys. How does one set up a team against a squad that's not better but stronger and bigger.