Soccer Drills - Under 13
Work on the basics & advanced skills
At the under 13 level your players are slowly starting to get comfortable with their fundamental skills such as dribbling, passing and shooting. They also start to make better decisions in game situations, and make better use of available space of the field. Still, despite all this progress you should never forget to work with them on their basics. While introducing new advanced technical and tactical skills you should never forget to include fundamentals.
We, at planet.training, got you covered if you want to improve those skills. We have thousands of soccer drills for any skill! You can directly start coaching with these four exercises or try hundreds of Premium Exercises and public drills in our soccer database.
Cross Pass Drill – Above the rope
Set Up:
Two or more poles need to be set up in the middle of the field with a total distance of 15 to 20 meters. Stretch a rope or string inbetween the poles. Players will be divided into groups of two and will position themselves opposite of eachother on each one side of the rope/string. Two players will get one ball.
Execution:
The players will alternately start playing high and wide cross passes to one another. The ball should be received, controlled and positioned within a maximum of two touches. At this, the player receiving the ball should move towards the oncoming pass. The passes should be played with the stronger, as well as with the weaker foot. The form of passing can be changed as well – for example: S1 plays a hard pass below the rope, whilst S2 is still playing a high and wide cross pass, but with his weaker foot. Goal keepers can be involved in this exercises, as they will vary between catching the ball with their hands and trying to improve their ball reception skills with the foot.
Through Pass - 3+2 versus 3
Set Up:
Divide a field of approx. 25m x 15m into three zones of each 25m x 5m. Divide players into groups of 5 (blue team) and 3 players (orange team). The blue team has three players in one endzone and two in the other. The orange team has all three players in the middle zone as defenders. The group of three blue players has the ball prior to the start of the exercise.
Execution:
The blue team tries to consistently pass the ball from one endzone to the other, without the defenders gaining possession of the ball. 5 successful passes (from one side to the other) equal a point for the blue team. Gaining possession of the ball equals a point for the defending team. Play until 7 points, then put in new defenders.
This exercise aims to improve your team's through passes. Players have to constantly try to get open behind the defenders before being able to receive a pass. The ball possessing group of players has to maintain a quick and wide passing game, to create gaps in the defensive scheme.
ELEVATE YOUR GAME
3 Color Game with shot on Goal
Set Up:
Use 4 Cones to set up a passing field of approx. 30m x 20m between midfield and penalty box. Set up 3 cone goals (2m width) that are used for through passes at the end of the passing field. 3 Teams of each 3 players + goalkeeper in big goal, 1 ball.
Execution:
Two of the three teams will play together as Offense versus one defending team. The two offensive teams (white & red in the beginning) try to stay in possession by passing the ball as efficiently as possible. The ball possessing teams must play four successful passes, until they are allowed to play the fifth pass as a through ball through one of the three cones to one of their teammates.
The striker has to win his 1 on 1 with the goalie - One defender is allowed to chase the player, trying to prevent the shot. In case of interception by defending team: If the defending team can gain ball possession, the exercise starts anew. The team of the player that lost the ball will now be the new defending team – The other team now plays with the new ball possessing team.
The end zone game - 4v4
Set Up:
Use 4 cones to set up a field of approx. 15m x 40m. Set up two 5m long end zones in the field by using two cones each. Divide group into teams of 4 players. Place balls near the sidelines in case ball goes out of bounce.
Execution:
This exercise is a regular 4v4, with the objective of getting the ball in the opposing team's endzone. Defenders and attacking players can not enter the endzones before the pass is played. 3-4 rounds of each 5 minutes with different variations.
Variations could include: Handball - Player in ball possession is only allowed to take 3 steps or Ball is passed with the foot and caught with the hands; "Touchdowns" can only be scored by receiving the pass in the endzone; Free game with only 3 ball touches per player. (As seen in the video),...
Start now with your premium membership
Register nowWithout passing and dribbling there is no scoring
Scoring and winning is the ultimate goal of any football game. Whether a volley shot, bicycle kick, header or instep drive. Any technique can be improved by practicing it during your soccer training sessions. However, without an effective passing game or a perfect dribbling, there would not even be a chance to score. Therefore, coaches should always combine several skills in their session plans. Shots on the goal are perfect for engaging in small-field games or passing drills. To make sure that your next session plan is created even faster, there are a lot of other drill examples and variations on our other exercise pages.
