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At-home soccer drills for 11 to 13 year olds

This is a free sample week of at-home soccer training for 11 to 13 year olds: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 37.5 to 38 minutes, with every step and minute. Nothing here is written for this page alone; it is what the app gives a family.

Everything here can be done in a room, garage or yard. Drills that need a team are left out; a parent can be the partner in a pair drill.

Young players should try every position: US Soccer’s age guides keep every player on every position through 12, and a turn in goal for everyone up to 11. These all-round plans rotate through every position’s basics each week, with both feet, the same safe doses as the position plans, and a skill check at the end of the week.

How much: 30 to 35 minutes (40 at most), 3 to 4 times a week.

What a young player can train at home

  • Dribbling and ball mastery with both feet
  • Passing and receiving, then playing away from pressure
  • Shooting to the corners
  • Defending footwork, with no contact
  • Simple goalkeeper catching

A free sample week of soccer for 11 to 13 year olds

Session 1

All-round session 1: Called moves + Driven and lofted passes 38 minutes

  1. Warm-up: jog, skips, side shuffles, squat jumps with a soft landing, plank, balance and catch · 8 min
    Knees over toes on every landing. Warm-ups like this, done twice a week, prevent injuries.
  2. Beat your score: wall passes in 30 seconds, each foot · 2 min
    Count clean passes. Write today’s number down.
  3. Ball mastery: 8 moves, the last round called by a parent (step-over, V-pull, la croqueta) (8 × 40 s, 20 s rest) · 8.5 min
    Ball close, both feet. On the called round, react fast.
  4. Driven and lofted passes to a wall target (4 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 6.5 min
    Lock the ankle, strike through the middle for driven; under the ball for lofted.
  5. Wall pass, receive across your body into a side gate from 4 to 8 yards (4 to 7 m), alternate feet (5 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 8 min
    Open your body before the ball arrives. Change the side every set.
  6. Game: wall rally, how many in a row without a mistake · 3 min
    Calm touches, keep the rally going.
  7. Cool-down: walk and stretches, hold each about 20 seconds · 2 min
    Never stretch to pain. Note one thing you got better at.

Session 2

All-round session 2: Jockey corridor + Called moves 37.5 minutes

  1. Warm-up: jog, skips, side shuffles, squat jumps with a soft landing, plank, balance and catch · 8 min
    Knees over toes on every landing. Warm-ups like this, done twice a week, prevent injuries.
  2. Beat your score: wall passes in 30 seconds, each foot · 2 min
    Count clean passes. Write today’s number down.
  3. Jockey corridor 3 by 9 yards (3 by 8 m): switch your lead leg on a clap, no contact (6 × 20 s, 40 s rest) · 6.5 min
    Side-on, low, never cross your feet.
  4. Ball mastery: 8 moves, the last round called by a parent (step-over, V-pull, la croqueta) (8 × 40 s, 20 s rest) · 8.5 min
    Ball close, both feet. On the called round, react fast.
  5. Keeper catches at every height from 5 to 9 yards (5 to 8 m) (3 × 90 s, 45 s rest) · 7.5 min
    Scoop, basket, W; thumbs and little fingers do not overlap.
  6. Game: wall rally, how many in a row without a mistake · 3 min
    Calm touches, keep the rally going.
  7. Cool-down: walk and stretches, hold each about 20 seconds · 2 min
    Never stretch to pain. Note one thing you got better at.

Session 3

All-round session 3: Open-body receive + Jockey corridor 38 minutes

  1. Warm-up: jog, skips, side shuffles, squat jumps with a soft landing, plank, balance and catch · 8 min
    Knees over toes on every landing. Warm-ups like this, done twice a week, prevent injuries.
  2. Beat your score: wall passes in 30 seconds, each foot · 2 min
    Count clean passes. Write today’s number down.
  3. Wall pass, receive across your body into a side gate from 4 to 8 yards (4 to 7 m), alternate feet (5 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 8 min
    Open your body before the ball arrives. Change the side every set.
  4. Jockey corridor 3 by 9 yards (3 by 8 m): switch your lead leg on a clap, no contact (6 × 20 s, 40 s rest) · 6.5 min
    Side-on, low, never cross your feet.
  5. Finishing to the corners from 9 to 13 yards (8 to 12 m), first time off the wall; a parent calls the corner (4 × 60 s, 60 s rest) · 8.5 min
    Placement over power. Eight strikes a set, both feet.
  6. Game: wall rally, how many in a row without a mistake · 3 min
    Calm touches, keep the rally going.
  7. Cool-down: walk and stretches, hold each about 20 seconds · 2 min
    Never stretch to pain. Note one thing you got better at.

Want the rest of the plan?

This sample is 3 of the 7 soccer plans SSTracker has for this group. In SSTracker every step is on the screen, your child logs the work, and you see it. No club needed: the family plan is $7.50 a month per player, or $12 a month for the whole household, and the first 14 days are free.

Get the full plan free for 14 days Coach or club director? Set up your team free Print a free week for another sport or age

The drills in this week

Ball Mastery: Eight Moves, Called

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Eight ball-mastery moves in rounds; in the last round your parent calls the move.

  1. Warm up with toe taps and sole rolls.
  2. Do 8 moves for 40 seconds each with 20 seconds rest: step-over, V-pull, la croqueta and five you know.
  3. Last round: your parent calls a move every few seconds.
  4. React fast and keep the ball close.

Coach's cue: Ball close, both feet. On the called round, react fast.

Bring: soccer ball, partner or parent

Driven and Lofted Passes to a Target

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

A center back’s range: a firm driven pass low, then a lofted pass high, both at a target on a wall.

  1. Mark a low target and a high target on a wall.
  2. From 8 to 12 steps, drive the ball at the low target: ankle locked, strike through the middle.
  3. Then lift a pass at the high target: strike under the ball.
  4. Do 4 sets of 6 of each, both feet.

Coach's cue: Lock the ankle; through the middle for driven, under the ball for lofted.

Bring: soccer ball, wall with a chalk or tape target

Safety: Make sure nobody is standing near the goal, the wall or the target before you strike.

Open Body Receiving

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Receive on your back foot so your first touch moves the ball on to the next target.

  1. Stand between two partners in a line, 10 yards each way.
  2. Open your hips toward the passer.
  3. Receive with your back foot and pass on to the far partner in two touches.
  4. Do 30 passes, then swap who is in the middle.

Coach's cue: Open up, back foot, move it on.

Bring: soccer ball, 3 cones, partner

Jockey Corridor

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Defend a narrow corridor side-on, switching your lead leg when your parent claps. No contact.

  1. Mark a corridor 3 steps wide and 8 steps long.
  2. Your parent walks or jogs down it with the ball; you face them, side-on, low.
  3. Shuffle back to stay in front, never crossing your feet.
  4. On a clap, switch which foot leads. Do 6 rounds of 20 seconds.

Coach's cue: Side-on, low, never cross your feet.

Bring: 4 cones, partner or parent

Safety: No contact and no tackling: the parent or partner only moves, calls or rolls the ball.

Keeper W-Catch Wall Throws

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Practice the W hand shape for balls at head height, on your own against a wall.

  1. Stand 3 steps from a wall where nothing can break.
  2. Throw the ball softly at the wall above your head.
  3. Catch it with thumbs almost touching so your hands make a W behind the ball.
  4. Do 30 catches, then step back one step.

Coach's cue: Thumbs together, see the ball into your hands.

Bring: soft or light ball, a wall

Safety: Use a soft or light ball indoors, and keep clear of windows and anything that can break.

First-Time Finishing

Ages 11 and up · 12 min

Finish a rolling ball with one touch, the way most goals are scored.

  1. A partner rolls the ball across the top of the box (or play it off a wall).
  2. Open your body and strike first time toward the far corner.
  3. Take 10 from each side.
  4. Count shots on target.

Coach's cue: Set your feet early, then guide it.

Bring: soccer ball, goal, partner or wall

Safety for ages 11 to 13

  • Plans for this age group use beginner and developing drills only. Advanced drills open from age 13 in the app.
  • Home plans use only drills for a room, garage or yard. Stop if anything hurts.

Before you start: soccer

  • Shin guards under socks for every game and partner drill.
  • A ball the right size for age (size 3 for the youngest, size 4 from about 8, size 5 from about 12).
  • No heading the ball at age 10 and under (U.S. Soccer). Ages 11-13: light heading in practice only, with a coach.
  • No slide tackles in practice games; stay on your feet when you defend.
  • Goalkeepers learn to fall on soft ground first, starting from the knees.
  • A warm-up with balance, jumping and landing (like FIFA 11+ Kids) cuts injuries by about half.
For every sport and age (7)
  • Head knock or concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling "off"): when in doubt, sit them out. See a doctor, and no return the same day.
  • Back to sport only with a doctor's written OK, after a step-by-step return. Every U.S. state has a youth concussion law.
  • Heat: drink water before, during and after. Take shade breaks, ease into hot weather over about two weeks, and stop if dizzy, sick or headachy.
  • Lightning: if you hear thunder or see lightning, go inside a building or a closed car. Wait 30 minutes after the last thunder (the 30-30 rule).
  • Pain is a stop sign, not something to push through. Stop and tell a grown-up; pain that lasts or comes back each session needs a doctor.
  • Water and rest are part of training: 1-2 rest days a week, plenty of sleep, a meal or snack before and after, and other sports welcome.
  • Know where the nearest AED (heart defibrillator) is, and who calls for help in an emergency.

The research behind these plans

Which drills are shown at which age, and the safety notes, follow the 100 sources below: national governing bodies, medical associations and studies on youth sport (last reviewed October 2026). Where no study gives an exact number, the plans use cautious defaults, and we change them as the research does.

Ages 4 to 6: play and movement skills (11)
Soccer by age: US Soccer and youth programmes (8)
Other sports and safety for the youngest (4)
Age, development and practice design (22)
Positions, scanning and technique (11)
Goalkeeping (10)
Safety, load and injury (26)
Motivation and parents (8)

More plans