60-minute U10 soccer practice plan

Your 60-minute session

8 players · 1 adult
Have the equipment listed for every active group. Recheck the grouping if attendance changes.

1. 0–3minutes

   Warm-up

   Walk around a clear area, gradually picking up the pace. Introduce today’s focus and show the first activity.

2. 3–11minutes

   Gate passing

   Send a ground pass through a wide window to a partner. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Partners stand 4–6 yards apart with a two-yard window halfway between. Use low flat markers or clear existing field markings for the window; do not use shoes or raised objects. An odd player forms a trio and changes with the passer after every pass. Use existing clear field markings for all boundaries and targets if flat markers are unavailable; choose another activity if the described layout cannot be made visible.

   1. Check that the receiver is ready.
   2. Pass along the ground through the window using the inside of the foot.
   3. The receiver cushions the ball, moves it into a comfortable spot and returns it.
   4. After a minute, agree whether to move closer or farther apart.

   Equipment: 1 ball per pair available; groups of 3 or more share one active ball and leave spares outside the area; Optional 2 flat markers per pair; existing clear field markings may replace these

   Keep it safe: Leave gaps between lanes; do not use hard or raised objects as targets. Keep the ball on the ground; no heading or body contact. Use a clear, level area and pause for water or discomfort as needed. Leave spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and shooting paths. For mixed ages, form pairs by a comfortable passing distance and pace, not age alone. Use the easier entry point first; a player may stay there while another uses the optional progression. No contact or forced speed.

3. 11–19minutes

   Gate passing

   Send a ground pass through a wide window to a partner. Repeat the activity with roles rotated and one clear coaching cue. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Partners stand 4–6 yards apart with a two-yard window halfway between. Use low flat markers or clear existing field markings for the window; do not use shoes or raised objects. An odd player forms a trio and changes with the passer after every pass. Use existing clear field markings for all boundaries and targets if flat markers are unavailable; choose another activity if the described layout cannot be made visible.

   1. Check that the receiver is ready.
   2. Pass along the ground through the window using the inside of the foot.
   3. The receiver cushions the ball, moves it into a comfortable spot and returns it.
   4. After a minute, agree whether to move closer or farther apart.

   Equipment: 1 ball per pair available; groups of 3 or more share one active ball and leave spares outside the area; Optional 2 flat markers per pair; existing clear field markings may replace these

   Keep it safe: Leave gaps between lanes; do not use hard or raised objects as targets. Keep the ball on the ground; no heading or body contact. Use a clear, level area and pause for water or discomfort as needed. Leave spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and shooting paths. For mixed ages, form pairs by a comfortable passing distance and pace, not age alone. Use the easier entry point first; a player may stay there while another uses the optional progression. No contact or forced speed.

4. 19–20minutes

   Water break

   Offer water and reset the activity areas.

5. 20–29minutes

   Give-and-go passing (one-two)

   Use a short return pass, then move past the partner to receive again. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   One player starts with the ball near the lane entrance. The partner stands four yards ahead and slightly to one side. An odd player joins a trio and replaces the receiving partner after each sequence.

   1. Pass to the partner and jog forward on the open side.
   2. The partner cushions the ball and returns it into the runner’s path.
   3. The runner receives, slows down and returns to the start together with the partner.
   4. Swap roles after every sequence and try the other side.

   Equipment: 1 ball per pair available; groups of 3 or more share one active ball and leave spares outside the area

   Keep it safe: Only one sequence runs in each lane; return along its outside edge. Keep the ball on the ground; no heading or body contact. Use a clear, level area and pause for water or discomfort as needed. Leave spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and shooting paths. For mixed ages, form pairs by a comfortable passing distance and pace, not age alone. Use the easier entry point first; a player may stay there while another uses the optional progression. No contact or forced speed.

6. 29–39minutes

   Cruyff turn

   Sell a pass or shot, then turn away by taking the ball behind the standing leg. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Give each player a ball and a personal 4-by-4-metre patch with extra space between players. Rehearse the feet without a ball first; players must already stop and turn a slow dribble. No pairs or defender are needed, so odd numbers work unchanged.

   1. Dribble two small touches, place the non-kicking foot beside the ball, and shape as if passing forward.
   2. Use the inside of the other foot to draw the ball behind the standing leg; turn the hips and follow the ball into the opposite direction.
   3. Stop after two exit touches, reset in the same patch and try the other foot. Work for 20 seconds, then pause to watch one partner demonstration without exchanging balls.

   Equipment: 1 age-appropriate soccer ball per player

   Keep it safe: Leave room for the ball and body to turn without reaching another player. Keep the plant foot comfortable; do not force a twisting knee or cross the legs at speed. Stop for a loose ball; no defender, tackling or race.

7. 39–45minutes

   Give-and-go passing (one-two)

   Use a short return pass, then move past the partner to receive again. Repeat the activity with roles rotated and one clear coaching cue. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   One player starts with the ball near the lane entrance. The partner stands four yards ahead and slightly to one side. An odd player joins a trio and replaces the receiving partner after each sequence.

   1. Pass to the partner and jog forward on the open side.
   2. The partner cushions the ball and returns it into the runner’s path.
   3. The runner receives, slows down and returns to the start together with the partner.
   4. Swap roles after every sequence and try the other side.

   Equipment: 1 ball per pair available; groups of 3 or more share one active ball and leave spares outside the area

   Keep it safe: Only one sequence runs in each lane; return along its outside edge. Keep the ball on the ground; no heading or body contact. Use a clear, level area and pause for water or discomfort as needed. Leave spare balls and personal equipment outside all movement and shooting paths. For mixed ages, form pairs by a comfortable passing distance and pace, not age alone. Use the easier entry point first; a player may stay there while another uses the optional progression. No contact or forced speed.

8. 45–57minutes

   2v2 transition game

   Switch quickly between attacking and defending when possession changes. Use 1 group of 8 players. Equipment below is needed for each group.

   How to run it

   Four cones mark an 18-by-12-metre pitch and four form one two-metre cone goal at each end. Two players per team are active; with five to eight players, assign the extras to the smaller roster first and keep substitutes outside halfway. No goalkeepers. Each team identifies its attacking end before starting.

   1. Start from the end line with an uncontested ground pass to a teammate. Attack the opposite cone goal while two opponents defend through positioning and interceptions.
   2. After an interception, the new team immediately attacks the other way. After a goal or the ball leaving the pitch, restart from the appropriate end or touchline with opponents two metres away.
   3. Play 60-second rounds. At each pause rotate the longest-playing member of any roster with substitutes, restarting from their own end. If one roster has only two players, give that pair an extra rest at each round change and switch roster sizes halfway.

   Equipment: 1 age-appropriate soccer ball; 8 flat cones

   Keep it safe: No sliding, shoulder charges or kicking a ball trapped between feet. Keep shots low and the space behind each cone goal clear. Pause on crowded challenges or a player on the ground; use the easier interception-only rule as needed.

9. 57–60minutes

   Cool-down and check-in

   Walk at an easy pace, offer water, and ask players to name one thing they want to try again next time.