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At-home soccer drills for 11 to 13 year olds: striker

This is a free sample week of at-home soccer training for 11 to 13 year olds, for a striker: 3 of the 7 plans SSTracker has for this group, each 36 to 38.5 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.

Strikers are judged by finishing, and finishing is practice. At home a young striker can take hundreds of shots a week into small targets with both feet, practice turning with their back to goal, finish first time off a wall, and sharpen the short bursts and curved pressing runs forwards make in games.

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

What a young striker can train at home

  • Finishing to the corners with both feet
  • First-time finishing
  • Back-to-goal turns
  • Short accelerations and curved pressing runs

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

Session 1

Striker session 1: First-time finishing + Called moves 36 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. First-time finishing off the wall, weak foot too (4 × 45 s, 60 s rest) · 7.5 min
    Set your body early, strike through the ball.
  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. Bodyweight strength: squats, lunges, push-ups, plank; Nordic curls 3 to 5 with a parent holding your ankles (3 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 5 min
    Slow and controlled. Stop if anything hurts.
  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

Striker session 2: Back to goal + Open-body receive 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. Back to goal: receive a parent’s pass, turn and finish (4 × 45 s, 45 s rest) · 6.5 min
    Check your shoulder, turn on the first touch.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  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

Striker session 3: First-time finishing + Colour call 38.5 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. First-time finishing off the wall, weak foot too (4 × 45 s, 60 s rest) · 7.5 min
    Set your body early, strike through the ball.
  4. Look, then play: a parent shows a colour as the ball leaves the wall, first touch to that side (5 × 60 s, 30 s rest) · 8 min
    Look before the ball arrives, then take your touch away from pressure.
  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.

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

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

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

Hamstring and Lunge Strength

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Strength work for the back of the leg and hips that helps protect knees and hamstrings.

  1. Kneel with a partner holding your ankles (or hook them under a sofa).
  2. Lean forward slowly with a straight body, then sit back up; go only as far as you control.
  3. Do 5 leans, then 8 walking lunges each leg.
  4. Rest and do 2 more rounds.

Coach's cue: Slow down, straight line.

Bring: partner or sturdy sofa, soft mat

Safety: Lean only as far as you can control. Stop if you feel a sharp pull.

Back to Goal, Turn and Finish

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

A striker’s receive: back to goal, check your shoulder, turn on the first touch and finish.

  1. Stand 10 steps out, facing away from the goal.
  2. Your parent passes into your feet.
  3. Check your shoulder, turn on your first touch, and finish low.
  4. Do 4 sets of 6, turning both ways.

Coach's cue: Check your shoulder, turn on the first touch.

Bring: 3 to 5 soccer balls, goal or 2 targets, partner or parent

Safety: Make sure nobody is standing near the goal, the wall or the target before you strike. No contact and no tackling: the parent or partner only moves, calls or rolls the ball.

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

Look, Then Play: Colour Call

Ages 11 and up · 10 min

Your parent calls a colour as the ball comes off the wall; your first touch goes to that side.

  1. Put a red cone to your left and a blue cone to your right, 3 steps away.
  2. Pass to the wall from 5 steps.
  3. As the ball comes back, your parent calls a colour.
  4. Take your first touch toward that cone. Do 5 sets of 10 receptions.

Coach's cue: Look before the ball arrives, then take your touch away from pressure.

Bring: soccer ball, wall, 2 coloured cones, partner or parent

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 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)

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