At-home soccer drills for 7 to 10 year olds: center back

This is a free sample week of at-home soccer training for 7 to 10 year olds, for a center back: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 23.5 to 24 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.

Center backs win the ball and start the attack. At home a young defender can sharpen the habits that matter most: staying low and side-on, checking both shoulders before the ball arrives, and striking firm, accurate passes over distance. Live tackling waits for practice with a coach.

How much: about 20 minutes (25 at most), 2 to 4 times a week, mostly as games.

What a young center back can train at home

Side-on footwork and jockeying, with no contact
Looking over the shoulder before receiving
Driven and lofted passes to a target
Receiving on the half-turn
Recovery runs (age 14 and up)

A free sample week of soccer for 7 to 10 year olds

Session 1

Center back session 1: Mirror me + Ball mastery moves 23.5 minutes

Warm-up: jog, skips, side shuffles, jump and land, balance on one leg · 6 min
Land softly with knees over toes. This kind of warm-up helps prevent injuries.
Beat your score: toe taps in 30 seconds, twice · 2 min
Count your touches. Beat your own score, nobody else’s.
Ball mastery game: toe taps, sole rolls, tick-tock, pull-push, L-turn, drag-back (6 × 30 s, 20 s rest) · 5.5 min
Small touches, ball close. Try the new move with both feet.
Mirror me: copy a parent’s side steps in a low stance, no contact (6 × 15 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
Low and balanced, on your toes.
Game: pass through the gates, as many as you can in 2 minutes · 3 min
Make it a game. Cheer every gate.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly. Tell someone one thing you did well.

Session 2

Center back session 2: Stop and pass back + Wall passing 24 minutes

Warm-up: jog, skips, side shuffles, jump and land, balance on one leg · 6 min
Land softly with knees over toes. This kind of warm-up helps prevent injuries.
Beat your score: toe taps in 30 seconds, twice · 2 min
Count your touches. Beat your own score, nobody else’s.
Wall pass and receive from 2 to 4 yards (2 to 4 m): two touches, both feet (4 × 45 s, 30 s rest) · 5.5 min
Stop it, then pass it. Left foot, then right foot.
Stop and pass back: stop a rolled ball, pass it back to a parent (4 × 45 s, 30 s rest) · 5.5 min
Stop it first, then a calm pass.
Game: pass through the gates, as many as you can in 2 minutes · 3 min
Make it a game. Cheer every gate.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly. Tell someone one thing you did well.

Session 3

Center back session 3: Mirror me + Peek and shout 23.5 minutes

Warm-up: jog, skips, side shuffles, jump and land, balance on one leg · 6 min
Land softly with knees over toes. This kind of warm-up helps prevent injuries.
Beat your score: toe taps in 30 seconds, twice · 2 min
Count your touches. Beat your own score, nobody else’s.
Peek, then touch: dribble while a parent shows 1 to 5 fingers, shout the number (4 × 45 s, 30 s rest) · 5.5 min
Little peeks up while the ball stays close. Parent: switch fingers often.
Mirror me: copy a parent’s side steps in a low stance, no contact (6 × 15 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
Low and balanced, on your toes.
Game: pass through the gates, as many as you can in 2 minutes · 3 min
Make it a game. Cheer every gate.
Cool-down: walk and easy stretches · 2 min
Breathe slowly. Tell someone one thing you did well.

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

Toe Taps and Sole Rolls

Ages 7 and up · 6 min

Fast foot taps and sole rolls build touch for tight spaces.

Tap the top of the ball with alternate soles for 30 seconds.
Roll the ball side to side under your sole for 30 seconds.
Rest 30 seconds.
Do 4 rounds and count taps in your best round.

Coach's cue: Light feet, stay on your toes.

Bring: soccer ball

Defensive Stance and Shuffle

Ages 7 and up · 8 min

Learn the side-on, low stance that lets a defender move in any direction.

Stand side-on with knees bent and weight on the balls of your feet.
Shuffle 5 yards one way without crossing your feet.
Drop-step and shuffle back.
Do 10 trips.

Coach's cue: Side-on, low, never flat-footed.

Bring: 4 cones

Wall Passing

Ages 7 and up · 10 min

Pass crisply against a wall and control the return.

Stand 6 yards from a wall.
Pass with the inside of your foot and receive the rebound.
Alternate feet; do 30 each foot.
Move back a step for a harder set.

Coach's cue: Lock the ankle and pass through the middle of the ball.

Bring: soccer ball, wall

Stop and Pass Back

Ages 7 to 10 · 8 min

A first defender’s job with the ball: stop it calmly, then give a safe pass back.

Stand 4 to 6 steps from your parent.
They roll the ball to you; stop it dead with the sole or the inside of your foot.
Look up, then pass it back along the ground.
Do 10 with your right foot and 10 with your left.

Coach's cue: Stop it first, then a calm pass.

Bring: soccer ball, partner or parent

Peek and Shout

Ages 7 to 10 · 6 min

Dribble with little peeks up and shout the number of fingers your parent shows: the start of scanning.

Dribble slowly around a small space with the ball close.
Your parent holds up 1 to 5 fingers, changing often.
Peek up, shout the number, and keep the ball close.
Play 4 rounds of 45 seconds.

Coach's cue: Little peeks up while the ball stays close.

Bring: soccer ball, partner or parent

Safety for ages 7 to 10

Plans for this age group use beginner 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 77 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.

Age, development and practice design (22)

Positions, scanning and technique (11)

Goalkeeping (10)

Safety, load and injury (26)

Motivation and parents (8)