support U9 soccer drills
support U9 drills that you can apply to help your players progress on the support aspect. Sign up to receive our latest drills.
Access more drills
1v1 Duels with Shooting and Use of Support
15 min
5-15 joueurs
Technical
U8 - U11
A very simple duel exercise to set up, which allows your players, from a young age, to better understand the opponent's runs while keeping their heads up to look for a solution....
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.
The U9 soccer category, which corresponds to children aged 8-9 years, is one of the important categories in the development of young soccer players. U9 players evolve on fields adapted to their age of 25x35m and they begin to acquire the technical and tactical basics of the game, while continuing to boost their passion for this sport.
What is the U9 soccer category?
The U9 category includes children under 9 years old who play soccer. It is one of the pivotal periods where the foundations of the game are laid. Budding soccer players begin to discover the rules of the game, perfect their dribbling, passing, and shooting techniques. The first tactical basics can also be seen and applied during the U9 season to transition from a simple activity to a sport with stakes.
The objectives of the U9 category
The objectives of the U9 category remain to practice a sport and to expend energy for players who are still children.
From a learning perspective, the U9 category can go further than just trying to win matches. The overall goal is to promote the overall development of children, both physically and mentally, and even socially.
Among the main goals, no pun intended, of a U9 season, we find:
- Encourage active participation and fair play.
- Develop individual and collective skills of the players.
- Promote understanding and respect for the rules of the game.
- Encourage socialization and teamwork.
- Stimulate the passion for soccer by enjoying playing it.
Some tips for coaching a U9 team
You are dealing with children under 9 years old, so coaching a U9 team requires a specific approach, particularly focused on playful games and progressive learning.
Here are some tips we can give you:
- Create a positive and stimulating environment so that children feel confident and express themselves.
- Structure your training sessions to include a dynamic warm-up, small games, and technical exercises.
- Adapt instructions and exercises to the level of your group of young players so that everyone can develop their level while promoting repetition and variety of drills.
- Encourage the participation of all players and offer them constructive and individualized feedback.
- Emphasize fun and enjoyment while maintaining a certain level of expectation.
When you prepare your U9 training sessions, be sure to keep these different aspects in mind. Remember that fun is a fundamental concept at this age, so be mindful of how you conduct your U9 exercises.
What training exercises for U9s?
As previously mentioned, the exercises you propose for your U9 category should be adapted to the level of your group. Still prioritize play and technique.
Here are some examples of exercises for this category:
- Dribbling games: dribbling courses with cones to work on ball control and coordination.
- Passing and control: short passes and oriented controls to improve precision and technical quality.
- Small-sided games: small-sided matches (3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4) to encourage realistic game situations and quick decision-making.
- Finishing games: technical finishing moves (shooting, heading) through fun exercises.
- Team games: positioning and movement games to work on coordination and communication between players.
Feel free to propose drills that match the level of your players as well as the progress in the season.
In summary, the U9 category represents an important bridge between sports activity and the development of real soccer knowledge, its game, its rules, its tactics. Your training sessions will significantly mark the progression of the children and their development.
Other sub-theme U9 soccer drills
U9 Agility soccer drills
- Shielding the King: Agility, Game Awareness, and Team Cohesion in Youth Soccer
- Motor skills and ball control to improve footwork and balance
- Working triangle: passing angle and layoff (Youth academy)
U9 Cognitive soccer drills
- Tic-Tac-Toe possession game with overload
- Triangle passing sequence and dribbling through gates
- The "stop / go" with rhythm work in youth academy
U9 Dribbling soccer drills
- Youth Academy: Working on dribbling with the four colors game
- Triangle passing sequence and dribbling through gates
- Running, game awareness, and passing in a circle formation
U9 Duels soccer drills
- Tic-Tac-Toe possession game with overload
- The River Goalkeepers: dribbling and duels in youth academy
- Give-and-go, dribble, and shooting from different angles
U9 Explosive strength soccer drills
- Agility and game awareness: The cone drill in youth academy
- Small-sided games in 2v2 with goalkeeper in promotion relegation format
- Collecting Cones: Feints and agility in youth academy
U9 Fun Game soccer drills
- Double sequence of passes in hourglass and diamond formation
- The hourglass: passing game and dribbling
- Dribbling as a team to fill your "bucket" (youth academy)
U9 Motor skills soccer drills
- The hunter game (youth academy): dribbling and game awareness
- Diamond play with ball control (youth soccer)
- Dribbling under pressure: "The Robbers"
U9 Passes soccer drills
- The hunter game (youth academy): dribbling and game awareness
- Warm-up: Directional ball control on the ground
- Cognitive work with a passing game on 4 squares
U9 Scanning soccer drills
- One-two pass game on a square of 4
- The hunter game (youth academy): dribbling and game awareness
- Passing circle: ball control, dribble, pass and follow