warm-up U11 soccer drills
warm-up U11 drills that you can apply to help your players progress on the warm-up aspect. Sign up to receive our latest drills.
Access more drills4-player passing sequence with scanning
Ideal for youth soccer, this exercise, seemingly very simple, will allow your players to work on their awareness and passing quality.
Discover our warm-up U11 drills
Diamond: layoff, switch of play, and through ball
10 min
5-15 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U15
Diamond passing sequence incorporating a short layoff, a one-two pass, a switch of play, and a pass into the run to attack the depth....
4vs4+1: corner-to-corner possession with fixed support players
10 min
8-16 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U13
4v4+1 possession exercise where the team in possession must connect their corner players by making a minimum number of passes in the central area....
Information Gathering on a Sequence of Passes in 4v4
15 min
8-16 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U13
Perfect warm-up exercise to work on information gathering before, during, and after the pass. It will require your players to be attentive to their surroundings while emphasizing the technical aspect of passing....
Cognitive work with a passing game on 4 squares
12 min
9-16 joueurs
Warm-up
U8 - U13
Ideal exercise for a soccer school, it allows for concentration and cognitive development while promoting ball use and movement in space....
Double rondo with game awareness and information gathering
10 min
9-18 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U13
This exercise is quite simple to set up but is highly appreciated by players during a warm-up in a session with a technical focus....
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What is the U11 category?
The U11 category corresponds to children aged 10-11 years, who generally play on the equivalent of half an 11-a-side field. At this age, the coach's goal is primarily to develop coordination, motor skills, and the technical skills of young players. An initial introduction to some tactical elements can also be offered. When preparing your U11 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 U11 exercises.
A U11 player is still at the early stages of their soccer journey. The goal as a coach is to awaken the different qualities and profile of each player by offering training and types of sessions that are fun yet constructive.
Are you coaching a U11 team and looking for advice on how to structure your training sessions or the different exercises to offer your players? You are in the right place! To best help you prepare a training session suitable for U11, here is a detailed and easy-to-implement guide for your sessions.
The objectives of the U11 category in soccer
U11 players, aged 10 to 11 years, still play on a half-field. At this age, the focus for each coach is generally on developing team spirit, motor skills, and ball control while gradually introducing technical elements (dribbling, juggling, etc.). An introduction to basic tactical concepts, such as positioning and decision-making, can also be offered progressively at this age.
Your number one goal as a coach? Maintain a pedagogical approach in your U11 training to stimulate learning while keeping each child's interest and the fun aspect. At this age, sessions should still be centered around mini-games built around soccer, in teams, and preferably offered at the end of training to finish on a more enjoyable note.
Some tips for coaching a U11 team
Training U11s should be intelligently built around several key elements: discovery, the basics of soccer, and creativity. The goal is to understand each young player, their preferences in terms of position, exercises, style of play, personality, etc. The choice of U11 exercises is then crucial to promote the development and highlighting of these different elements.
What training exercises for U11s?
The exercises should be designed to improve both the individual skills of each player while emphasizing team play. Activities like agility courses, dribbling workshops, and small-sided games are excellent for developing technique and tactical understanding. It is also beneficial to integrate games that encourage quick decision-making and game vision, such as themed matches, for example.
Here is a list of exercises to help you organize your training sessions:
Here is a list of exercises to help you organize your training sessions:
- Passing and oriented control square: Improvement of passing and control technique.
- Defensive techniques and interceptions: Focus on improving passes for attackers and interceptions for defenders.
- Defending a zone: Duel exercises to strengthen the defense of a designated area.
- Motor skills and ball handling: Strengthening balance, coordination, and ball control.
- Agility course with ball: To develop coordination and ball control.
- Dribbling workshops: Slaloms between cones to improve ball mastery.
- Small-sided games (3 vs 3 or 4 vs 4): Encourage team play and quick decision-making.
- Shooting exercises in front of goal: To improve shooting accuracy
Collecting Cones: Feints and agility in youth academy
15 min
4-20 joueurs
Warm-up
U6 - U11
A small agility exercise to offer to younger players to work on their quickness and ability to deceive their opponents in small spaces. A very fun game that players enjoy!...
Head, Shoulder, Knee, and Ball in Soccer School
15 min
8-18 joueurs
Warm-up
U6 - U11
Fun exercise to offer in a youth academy that combines cognitive work (listening, information gathering) with technical work (dribbling and agility). It is very popular with young players!...
4-player passing sequence with scanning
12 min
12-24 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U15
Ideal for youth soccer, this exercise, seemingly very simple, will allow your players to work on their awareness and passing quality....
Short passing game, direct play on a passing sequence with switch of play
15 min
7-19 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U13
This drill, structured as a passing sequence with a double triangle, is perfect for working on alternating between short passing game and direct play. The team chemistry will be on point!...
Working triangle: passing angle and layoff (Youth academy)
15 min
2-20 joueurs
Warm-up
U6 - U11
A very simple drill to set up in a soccer school that allows players to work on passing from different angles with a one-touch layoff and numerous variations....
Ball control and triangle play in youth academy
12 min
8-16 joueurs
Warm-up
U6 - U13
Fun dribbling drill ideal for soccer school with triangular zones and defenders who will do everything to touch the attackers....
Warm-up with the ball: sequence of passes in groups of 3 with opening
15 min
10-20 joueurs
Warm-up
U8 - U13
A very simple drill to set up that allows you to work on a passing sequence while being attentive to the movements around you....
One-two pass game on a square of 4
12 min
4-20 joueurs
Warm-up
U9 - U13
Ideal for a warm-up or technical drill in a soccer school, this passing exercise will allow you to implement numerous variations and add your personal touch....
Triangle passing sequence and dribbling through gates
12 min
8-16 joueurs
Warm-up
U8 - U13
Drill in the form of a predetermined passing sequence and dribbling with various possible variations. Perfect for youth soccer or as a warm-up....
Fun Warm-up: Dribbling and Ball Control in Tight Spaces
10 min
5-20 joueurs
Warm-up
U8 - U13
A very simple drill to set up that will allow young players to maximize their touches on the ball in a small space and under pressure. Perfect for the start of a session....
Passing circle: ball control, dribble, pass and follow
12 min
8-18 joueurs
Warm-up
U8 - U13
Ideal warm-up that allows players to get in condition with the ball while activating different muscle groups. Players work on their first touch, dribbling, and passing....
Heading practice in double circle (warm-up with ball)
10 min
10-20 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U13
Ideal warm-up exercise to improve heading accuracy and overall coordination. We recommend it as a warm-up, and you can also use it during technical skill work....
Warm-up: team ball possession
20 min
10-12 joueurs
Warm-up
U10 - U15
Ideal warm-up drill to practice team ball retention, focusing on movement and passing accuracy....
Warm-up: Directional ball control on the ground
15 min
4-8 joueurs
Warm-up
U9 - U13
Comprehensive warm-up exercise to improve your players on various types of directional control and work on passing in youth soccer training....
Technical warm-up: directional control and pass
12 min
3-12 joueurs
Warm-up
U9 - U13
Through a sequence of directional control and pass, this exercise, ideal for warm-up, works on ball mastery while being simple to set up....
Warm-up: sequence, control, dribbling, and passing
10 min
10-12 joueurs
Warm-up
U9 - U13
Through a simple sequence of control-dribble-pass, this exercise, ideal for warm-up, allows players to work on the basics while staying in motion....
Passing and directional control work
9 min
3-12 joueurs
Warm-up
U9 - U14
Work on passing and directional control with this simple yet incredibly effective drill!...
Other theme U11 soccer drills
U11 Conditioning soccer drills
- Agility and game awareness: The cone drill in youth academy
- Mobility and agility training with the "Around the World" drill
- Agility and Shooting
U11 Small-sided games soccer drills
- 5v5 opposition with "4 corner jokers"
- 3 ways to score in a reduced 3v3v3 game
- 3v3 high-intensity with shooting on 6 mini goals