Football/Soccer Session (Beginner): How to teach building out from the back U8-U11

Phase 1 - 3V1

Organization:

To start we have to set up our field.

I recommend a third of the field, be sure you have a clear build out line.

Equipment needed:

Soccer balls, pinnies, mini goals.

Place 3 goals on the build out line.

Once you've done that we then need to set out our start positions for our first phase.

Explanation:

The GK starts in goal, LB & RB are flanking the GK.

Notice they are inside the penalty area & to the side of the goal area.

The ball starts with the keeper & we will have a defender start on the build out line.

The activity starts with either the keeper rolling the ball out, or a goal kick.

I recommend using both throughout the activity.

Once the ball is released the purpose of the activity is for the defenders to pass into 1 of the 3 goals.

Players should be encouraged to pass to each other & when necessary pass back to the GK to maintain possession. 

Coaching points:

Communication among players.

Scan while moving with the ball.

Draw players in & make a pass.

After passing find space to support one another.

Phase 3 - 4V2

Phase 3 is adding a center back or a center midfielder depending on the formation you're playing.

This makes it a 4V2, with the gate keeper now becoming a defender.

Players will need to be smart with the ball and recognize where to support play to keep possession of the ball.

As in a real game if the red team takes possession of the ball they are free to shoot on goal.

Phase 5 - 6V4

The last and final phase will be to adding a additional defender to make it 6V4.

Notice the fourth defender is acting as a CM and will start in the center circle as they would in a real game.

There is no definative timeline for the activities.

Every group is different.

The best way to judge if teams are understanding in the success for a particular phase.

How many goals are being scored? If the team building are finding their way to the mini goals on a regular basis then it's time to move on to the next phase.

Likewise, if the are struggling with a phase, you may need to revisit a previous phase.