At-home soccer drills for 14 year olds and older: central midfielder

This is a free sample week of at-home soccer training for 14 year olds and older, for a central midfielder: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 43 to 47.5 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.

Central midfielders look around more than any other player before they get the ball, and the best young midfielders make it a habit. At home that means scanning games with a parent’s cue, quick one- and two-touch rhythm off a wall with both feet, and receiving on the half-turn so the first touch goes forward.

How much: about 45 minutes (60 at most), 3 to 4 times a week, with rest days.

What a young central midfielder can train at home

Scanning before every receive
One- and two-touch wall rhythm, both feet
Half-turn receiving
Short-to-long passing range

A free sample week of soccer for 14 year olds and older

Session 1

Central midfield session 1: Play under pressure + Hook turns 43.5 minutes

Warm-up: jog and skips, lateral and cutting moves, bounding, plank series, single-leg balance · 10 min
Build from easy to fast. Quality landings: knees over toes, quiet feet.
Beat your score: one-touch wall passes in 45 seconds · 2 min
Sharp and clean. Your own best is the only target.
Scan-led receive and play under a parent’s pressure call (6 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 9.5 min
Two looks, then the pass that breaks the line.
Turning moves under a time cue, then stop-start accelerations (5 × 45 s, 45 s rest) · 8 min
Sharp first step out of every turn. Not on a team-training day.
Ball mastery combos at match speed, then random calls with head-up checks (5 × 50 s, 30 s rest) · 7 min
Match speed, eyes up between touches.
Game: match-speed challenge, receive, turn and finish into a small target · 4 min
Game speed, full focus. Score your own round.
Cool-down: walk, then hip, hamstring and calf stretches · 3 min
Slow breathing, gentle holds. Drink water.

Session 2

Central midfield session 2: Passing range + Play under pressure 47.5 minutes

Warm-up: jog and skips, lateral and cutting moves, bounding, plank series, single-leg balance · 10 min
Build from easy to fast. Quality landings: knees over toes, quiet feet.
Beat your score: one-touch wall passes in 45 seconds · 2 min
Sharp and clean. Your own best is the only target.
Short-to-long passing range off the wall and to far targets (5 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 9.5 min
Change the distance every set.
Scan-led receive and play under a parent’s pressure call (6 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 9.5 min
Two looks, then the pass that breaks the line.
One-touch wall rhythm: weak-foot-only sets, half-turn receives, lofted passes to a high target (6 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 9.5 min
Every set, change the foot, the distance or the target.
Game: match-speed challenge, receive, turn and finish into a small target · 4 min
Game speed, full focus. Score your own round.
Cool-down: walk, then hip, hamstring and calf stretches · 3 min
Slow breathing, gentle holds. Drink water.

Session 3

Central midfield session 3: Hook turns + Passing range 43 minutes

Warm-up: jog and skips, lateral and cutting moves, bounding, plank series, single-leg balance · 10 min
Build from easy to fast. Quality landings: knees over toes, quiet feet.
Beat your score: one-touch wall passes in 45 seconds · 2 min
Sharp and clean. Your own best is the only target.
Turning moves under a time cue, then stop-start accelerations (5 × 45 s, 45 s rest) · 8 min
Sharp first step out of every turn. Not on a team-training day.
Short-to-long passing range off the wall and to far targets (5 × 60 s, 45 s rest) · 9.5 min
Change the distance every set.
Bodyweight strength: Nordic curls (build to 7 to 10), single-leg squats, lateral bounds, side planks (3 × 60 s, 60 s rest) · 6.5 min
Technique first. Stop if anything hurts. Not on a team-training day.
Game: match-speed challenge, receive, turn and finish into a small target · 4 min
Game speed, full focus. Score your own round.
Cool-down: walk, then hip, hamstring and calf stretches · 3 min
Slow breathing, gentle holds. Drink water.

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

Scan and Play Under a Pressure Call

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Two looks before every receive, then play away from the side your parent calls as “pressure”.

Set a gate on each side of you, 5 steps away.
Pass to the wall. As it comes back, your parent calls “left” or “right” as the pressure side.
Look twice, then receive and play out through the other gate.
Do 6 sets of 60 seconds.

Coach's cue: Two looks, then the pass that breaks the line.

Bring: soccer ball, wall, 4 cones, partner or parent

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

Hook Turn and Drag-Back

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Learn two turns that take the ball away from a defender behind you.

Dribble at a cone 10 yards away.
Fake a pass, then hook the ball behind your standing leg and go the other way.
On the next rep, drag the ball back with your sole and turn.
Do 10 of each turn on each foot.

Coach's cue: Sell the fake, then explode away.

Bring: soccer ball, 2 cones

Ball Mastery Combos at Match Speed

Ages 14 and up · 10 min

Chain 3 or 4 moves at match speed, then random calls with head-up checks.

Pick 3 or 4 combinations, for example step-over into la croqueta into a drag-back.
Do each for 45 to 60 seconds at game speed, 30 seconds rest.
Then 2 rounds of 60 seconds where your parent calls the move.
Look up between touches.

Coach's cue: Match speed, eyes up between touches.

Bring: soccer ball, partner or parent

Driven Long Pass

Ages 14 and up · 12 min

Hit a low, firm pass over 25 to 30 yards to switch play quickly.

Stand 25 yards from your partner.
Strike through the middle of the ball with your laces and a low follow-through.
Receive their pass and repeat.
Do 15 passes with each foot.

Coach's cue: Lean over the ball to keep it low.

Bring: soccer ball, 2 cones, partner

One-Touch Wall Rhythm

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Keep a one- and two-touch rhythm off the wall, alternating feet; at 14 and over, weak-foot-only sets and lofted passes.

Stand 4 to 6 steps from a wall.
Pass with two touches, then with one, keeping a steady rhythm.
Every other pass uses your weaker foot.
Do 5 sets of 45 to 60 seconds. Older players add a lofted pass to a high mark on the wall.

Coach's cue: Keep the rhythm; weaker foot every other pass.

Bring: soccer ball, wall

Bodyweight Strength Ladder

Ages 14 and up · 15 min

A climbing set of squats, push-ups and lunges for strength endurance late in a match.

Do 2 squats, 2 push-ups and 2 lunges each leg.
Add 2 reps to each exercise every round up to 10.
Rest 45 seconds between rounds.
Stop a round early if your form breaks.

Coach's cue: Quality first. Every rep looks the same.

Safety: Stop if you feel sharp pain in a joint.

Safety for ages 14 and up

Plans for this age group use beginner, developing and advanced 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)