support U17 soccer drills

3v3 with 4 supports and a central player

This 3v3 small-sided game with 4 corner support players will help you work on combinations in tight spaces. Remember to regularly rotate the support players.

Using 4 cones, create a 20x20m area then form 2 teams of 3 players and one team of 4 players (see animation). Place one player from each team in the center of the field, then ask the others to spread out on each side. Next, place the 4 players from the last team at each corner of the playing area.

The exercise proceeds as follows:

The 3-player teams must keep the ball as long as possible but only score a point when the central player touches the ball.
The corner players serve as support for the team in the offensive position.
The corner players as well as the support players are only allowed one touch of the ball.

A pass to the central player = 1 point.

Variation: to evolve the exercise, you can prohibit the side players from making a pass to a support. Only the central players can play on the support.

Variation: only the central players can play on the support.

Remember to adjust the number of zones based on the number of players present at practice. If you have a group of 20 players, for example, you can create 2 zones and perform the exercise simultaneously in each zone.

U17 U18 U19 U20 Seniors

Support

Discover our support U17 drills

Progress with our drills

Join our community of amateur coaches and access 500+ premium drills with diagrams inspired by pro coaches. Get new drills every week.

Access drills

What does the U17 category in soccer consist of?

The U17 category includes players aged 16-17 and is often very important in the progression of your players. It's the age where most major clubs send their scouts to the sidelines to discover new talents who may have emerged later. The U17 category is a decisive turning point for young aspiring professional soccer players. At this stage, players already possess a solid technical foundation and enter a phase where tactical finesse, physical strength, and mental maturity become crucial to becoming a standout player. This age generally marks the starting point of a more professional soccer journey, or conversely, a more amateur one.

As a coach, many new challenges will arise when coaching a U17 team to maximize the personal development of each player while considering the locker room and collective results. The U17 training sessions must above all be dynamic. It's an age where you can start emphasizing the athletic aspect of your exercises while maintaining a good dose of technical and tactical drills. Here is a detailed sheet to help you prepare your U17 training sessions and better choose the exercises to offer.

Objectives with your U17 players

The main objective at this age is to prepare players for the challenges of senior soccer. This involves advanced technical refinement, a deep understanding of game tactics, and rigorous and more advanced physical preparation.

Simultaneously, psychological aspects, such as pressure management, resilience, and team spirit, become increasingly important.

Some tips for coaching a U17 team

To coach a U17 team, certain principles should be kept in mind as a soccer coach. Here is a non-exhaustive list:

Strategic planning: sessions must be carefully planned with clear objectives, focused on specific skills to develop (set pieces, dribbles, build-up play from defense, counterattack, tactical positioning…).
Intensity and specificity : at this age, training should be intense and focused on specific elements for each session, with exercises simulating real match situations.
The importance of individual and collective development: it is crucial to find a balance between individual improvement and team cohesion.
Psychological support: provide mental support to help players manage stress and stay motivated before, during, and after each match. Indeed, this age also marks the beginning of more official competitions at different levels (regional, national…).

Integrating recovery periods is also essential to prevent injuries and promote healthy growth.

What training exercises for U17s?

To best help you build your U17 training sessions, here are some relevant exercise ideas:

Positional play exercises: Develop tactical understanding by setting up various game situations.
Shooting drills: Focus on improving shooting skills in different situations, under pressure.
Specific physical training: sessions dedicated to improving a specific element like strength, speed, and endurance.
Tactical sessions: representation of real match conditions, testing new strategies and formations…
Shooting exercises: varied drills to sharpen effectiveness in front of goal under different pressures and angles.
Build-up play from the goalkeeper and alternating short passing game, direct play: this exercise primarily focuses on goalkeeper development, highlighting how players should position themselves and move when the goalkeeper has the ball.
Match simulations: generally conducted at the end of the match to develop quick decision-making and tactical adaptability in match conditions.
Offensive combination work between the lines of Pep Guardiola: inspired by Manchester City training, this exercise is perfect for developing a precise offensive sequence, encouraging playing between the lines through a targeted passing sequence.