Annual training plan · U9–U13

Week 33: Encouraging Creativity in Football

2 complete training sessions with 8 drills – created by licensed coaches. Open every drill in the easy2coach web app with one click.

This week’s focus

When to use: start of the second half of the season

These sessions are ideal for U8/U9, U10/U11 and U12/U13 teams.

The 2 sessions of this training week are about developing the players' creativity in play. But what does creativity in football actually mean? A creative solution in football is usually associated with something “surprising”. For example, a shot without a back-lift, a rarely used feint, a surprising pass or simply letting a pass run through for a team-mate behind you.

Creativity suffers especially when coaches tighten the tactical corset more and more and work with very detailed match plans. In match situations, coaches often already have the next “logical” step in mind and give the players this solution very specifically. But if the players are given more freedom, unexpected solutions often emerge and the coach is genuinely surprised by his players.

Nevertheless, tactical instructions and rehearsed solutions create a necessary framework for your own game. But a coach should not insist too much on his instructions in attacking play. Because by constantly prescribing specific solutions, players lose their creativity and play with “tunnel vision”. In addition, players do not develop the ability to find solutions on their own.

A good compromise here is principles for your own game instead of a concrete match plan. Such principles could be, for example:

  • In possession, we always want to make the pitch wide and deep.
  • The rest defence should always have equal numbers or an overload.
  • The ball side attacks, the far side covers.
  • We want to look to play forward quickly.

Author Luis Österlein

Session 1

4 drills

The players' creativity plays a major role at a very high level of play. The defending teams show an enormous work rate and are well organised, which allows them to make the space for the attacking team very tight. In addition, the players are technically better trained, which leads to fewer glaring individual errors. Methods such as video analysis also make it possible to prepare as well as possible for the attacking patterns of play, and also for the individual behaviour of the opposition's attacking players.

All these factors make scoring goals more difficult. Precisely for this reason, matches are repeatedly decided by moments of individual brilliance or by unpredictable actions.

To promote this creativity, players should repeatedly be confronted with new and changing playing conditions in training. This forces the players to keep finding new solutions for carrying out an attack successfully. In addition, creativity, but also the speed and quality of decision-making, can be improved if drills do not follow rigid patterns with only one option for action.

Coaching points for this session
  • Give players time to find solutions on their own
  • If there are difficulties, guide the players towards possible solutions by asking targeted questions
  • In small-sided games, pay attention to the principles of the team's own game but refrain from prescribing specific actions
Drill 1

Free Passing in a Square

15 min12 x 12 or 15 x 15 metres
  • The two players in possession pass at the same time to any team-mates and follow their pass.
  • The new players in possession play on immediately, first time or with the second touch, to other players.
  • There are no set passing patterns; the players choose freely.
  • There must never be two balls at one cone at the same time.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Five cones form a square with one cone in the centre.

Equipment: 5 cones and 2 balls.

Players: The players spread out evenly across the positions; the two players in possession start together at one of the outer cones.

Coaching points
  • Watch for concentration and speed of action: where are the balls, where and to whom is the next pass played?
  • Be especially alert at the centre cone in order to avoid a collision.
Drill 2

Crossbar Handball

15 min
  • Two teams play against each other under handball rules, but without bouncing the ball.
  • Points are scored when the ball is thrown against the opposition's crossbar.
  • If the ball lands on the ground, the opposing team gets the ball.

Handball rules:

  • A player may hold the ball in the hands for a maximum of three seconds.
  • No more than three steps may be taken with the ball in the hands; after that it has to be passed.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Six cones mark out the playing area; there is a goal at each end.

Equipment: 2 goals, 6 cones and 1 ball.

Players: Two teams.

Coaching points
  • After the throw against the crossbar, immediately try to win the second ball.
  • Play the passes crisply and do not throw the ball in an arc over the opponents.
  • Move the ball quickly.
  • Constantly create passing options.
Drill 3

Endurance with Ball Techniques

25 min12 x 12 metres
  • Two players at a time play 1 vs 1, one pair after the other.
  • The coach plays a ball into the playing area.
  • As soon as the ball is in the playing area, the first player in each line may set off into the playing area.
  • Both players try to score on one of the four goals as quickly as possible.
  • If the ball goes out of play or into the goal, the attack ends and the players leave the playing area.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area. The four mini goals stand evenly distributed in the playing area, with their backs to each other and the openings facing outwards.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams of equal size. The players stand in two lines one behind the other, to the left and right of the coach.

Coaching points
  • Use feints as well as changes of pace and direction in order to get away from the opponent.
  • Dribble with the foot furthest from the opponent.
Drill 4

3 Teams 1 Result

35 minLarge area 40 x 55 metres, medium area 16 x 30 metres, small area 10 x 13 metres
  • A1 plays against B1, A2 against B2 and A3 against B3.
  • The results of the three games are added together for the overall result.
  • After each round the teams can reorganise their players within the teams.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Three playing areas with two goals each are marked out. The size of the areas and the number of players depend on the total number of players.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, 12 cones, 10 bibs and several balls.

Players: Two teams A and B, which divide themselves independently into three smaller teams — for example 5 vs 5, 3 vs 3 and 1 vs 1. The playing time is three to five minutes.

Coaching points
  • Encourage communication between the players.
  • Work towards a sensible team split.
The complete session as a ready-made training plan – with animated drills in the web app. Go to the web app

Session 2

4 drills

The second session on targeted creativity training starts with a dribbling drill. A player with a ball tries to follow their partner, who also has a ball. The player in front can repeatedly use and combine feints, changes of pace and sharp changes of direction in order to get away from the player following. Here too, creative solutions can help to avoid being predictable for the player behind and to shake them off.

After a 1 vs 1 drill that builds on the warm-up, the session continues with a Funino format in a 3 vs 0. The players can score a goal using passes and runs of their own choosing. To begin with, there is no right or wrong. The only important thing is that the drill is carried out at a match-like tempo. After a while, rules are added to the drill, forcing the players to find new solutions.

To finish, a 6 vs 6 is played towards changing targets. Depending on how the goals are positioned, the players have to keep reorienting themselves in the space and find a sensible distribution of space.

Coaching points for this session
  • Let players find ways to solve problems on their own
  • Refrain from giving specific solutions. Guide players towards possible options with questions
Drill 1

Shadow Dribbling

20 min15 x 20 metres
  • Two players run and dribble one behind the other — the front player as the dribbler, the rear player as the shadow.
  • The front player determines the direction and the pace.
  • The front player tries to shake off the shadow with changes of direction.
  • After one to two minutes both players swap positions.

Variations: Build feints such as the lunge and the step-over into the dribbling.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones mark out the playing area. With more than ten players a second area is set up.

Equipment: 4 cones per area and several balls.

Players: Pairs, each consisting of a dribbler and a shadow.

Coaching points
  • Keep making changes of pace and direction in the dribbling.
  • When feinting, shift the centre of gravity sufficiently.
Drill 2

1 vs 1 After Activation

20 min
  • The coach plays or throws the ball roughly into the middle of the playing area.
  • One player each from Red and Blue starts towards the ball.
  • The players may only score a goal once they have dribbled through one of the four yellow cone goals.
  • The finish is on the two goals that are further away from their own starting position.

Variations: It can also be played 2 vs 2.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Eight yellow cones form four cone goals about two metres wide; plus four mini goals.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, 8 cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams — Red and Blue — waiting at opposite starting positions.

Coaching points
  • Dribble with the foot furthest from the opponent.
  • Use feints and changes of pace to get away from the opponent.
  • Keep the ball close.
  • Get to the finish promptly.
Drill 3

Funino Passing Game

20 min
  • Goals may only be scored from the finishing zone.
  • Otherwise the passing is free, with progressive rules applying.
  • The starting positions always rotate — green, blue, yellow, green again.

Passing rules:

  • Basic rule: before the finish every player must have been on the ball once.
  • Progressive: limit the touches, finish first time, at least one one-two, at least one overlapping run.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Eight cones mark the playing area and the finishing zones; four mini goals stand at the ends.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, 8 cones and several balls.

Players: Three groups in the colours green, blue and yellow.

Coaching points
  • Make the game wide.
  • Make the opponent do the running.
  • Play firm, fast passes.
Drill 4

6 vs 6 on Changing Goals

20 min25 x 25 metres
  • It is played 6 vs 6 on four mini goals.
  • The goal the teams attack is specified — for example yellow attacks goals 1 and 4, blue attacks goals 2 and 3.
  • During the game the goals are changed.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four tall cones mark the playing area; on the sides there are four mini goals numbered 1 to 4.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, 4 tall cones and several balls.

Players: Two teams of six players each.

Coaching points
  • Make the game wide.
  • Look for lots of 1 vs 1 situations.
  • Stay focused throughout in order to keep track of the changing goals.
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