U12/U13 - the 5 best
exercises for your
football training

Here are the 5 best exercises for U12/U13 training.

Enormous learning success is possible in the U12/U13!

What do U12/U13 players need for this? Lots of actions & the right coaching. Most players have already gained a few

years of soccer experience. The exercises run more smoothly and you can coach more individually and precisely.

Even if the players are more motivated on their own, having fun in training should remain a constant learning companion.

As always, our goal is for the players to come to football training with a smile and leave with a smile!

This is guaranteed with these 5 exercises. And the players learn a whole lot along the way...

5 football exercises that combine fun and development in U12/U13 youth training!

What you should bear in mind in U12/U13 training

Most of the players have gained football experience and have already been able to develop their football skills well. Now you can invest more in the area of teamwork.

In the best case scenario, your players have already laid the foundations: The players love football! They now want to improve and learn.

Now it's time to support the players individually with individual coaching & lots of ball action with decision-making. You can also teach your U12/U13 youth team what a good training environment should look like.

Nevertheless, you should not neglect fun, freedom and experimentation. Make sure that the players can play for a certain amount of time without restrictions and without your coaching, even in U12/U13 training!

Exercise 1: Warm-up in U12/U13

Even in the U12/U13, players need to improve their ball control abilities. That's why we recommend that every warm-up in U12/U13 is done with the ball.

Isolated warm-ups and static stretching are not necessary for injury prevention. You can use the training time much more effectively:
We always start our U12/U13 youth training with a fun game.

Why do we do this? We want the U12/U13 players to have fun right from the start of training. They come from an extremely structured everyday life and should be allowed to let off steam first. The “Chaosball” exercise guarantees lots of fun activities for each child and makes them want to do more. Too many children in U12/U13 training? No problem with Chaosball! The exercise is perfect with 12 or more players. But "Chaosball" is also possible with 2 players per team. However, you should then make sure the games are shorter.

Create different games and let the kids compete against each other: Handball, backwards ball, FUNino and much more is possible here.

Exercise 2: Catch games in U12/U13

Many U12/U13 coaches know that coordination and speed are important building blocks in U12/U13 training. Keyword: golden learning age. However, isolated sprints and drills in the coordination ladder are not the best way to train this.

Catching games are much better! Why?

It's fun!
The children have to recognize opponent movements (like in a game)
They have to constantly react and act accordingly (just like in a game)
They act at top speed due to opponent pressure
Many movements in the catching game are based on movements in the football game (high transfer effect)

Fast in the head & fast in the legs: That's the motto for this U12/U13 catching game. Four-goal switching is perfect for athletics training in U12/U13. The tactical behaviors that apply without the ball are also important in 1v1 with the ball.

How to coach the catching game in the U12/U13

With "coaching through questions", you are sure to get your players' attention. Actively involve your U12/U13 players in coaching and ask them for their suggested solutions.

Instead of closed questions (“Do I have to run in quickly?”), you can now use more open questions (“How should I run in?”)!

The beauty of this U12/U13 catching game is now clear: the coaching applies without the ball, but the basic behaviors are the same with the ball.

You can find more U12/U13 exercises on our training and learning platform

Success through training: ready-made training sessions for U12/U13 training, further training and much more will help you in your daily work as a U12/U13 coach!

Learn more!

Exercise 3: The best 1v1 exercise for your U12/U13 training

The exercise "From the back switching 1v1" contains many important aspects:

Quick transitioning, free-running behavior, first touch, looking over the shoulder & shooting on goal under pressure.

The exercise is therefore perfect for U12/U13 training. The sequences and transitioning actions are not quite perfect the first time. But with a little patience, the exercise really works.

Tip: Coach the players in the exercise (“coaching in”)! At the beginning, help the players to know who has to defend and when, and who is running free. Over time, you can gradually withdraw and start coaching the content...

Coaching for exercise 3: Coaching the open position in U12/U13 training

Even if you can coach many things in this exercise: Limit yourself to 1-2 coaching points per training session for this exercise.

Watch the video to find out how you can coach the open position and free-running behavior of your U12/U13 team.

Exercise 4: Game form for your U12/U13 football training

This form of play has addictive potential. It is not uncommon for coaches to report that their players want to continue playing “1v0 to 2v2 | Transitions” and even voluntarily give up their close-out match to do so.

What makes the exercise perfect from a coach's point of view is that once the players have understood the exercise, it practically runs itself. There are many dynamic transitioning actions and no two situations are the same. The players must therefore repeatedly perceive - understand - decide - execute.

Coupled with the high fun factor, this is the ideal prerequisite for learning success in U12/U13 training.

Coaching for exercise 4 in U12/U13 football training

Observe: Where do most mistakes occur? In offense or defense? In 1v1, 2v1 or 2v2?

Concentrate on one situation for each unit and help your players to master it.

If your coaching makes it too easy for the offense, you can then coach the team against the ball. This way, the exercise always remains challenging and the players always have to give their best.

Exercise 5: The ideal close-out game in the U12/U13

Perfect for 11 to 15 players! Unlike in the video, we recommend a Winner-Stays Tournament with three teams. This allows for more action and each team has to take a break for a maximum of one game.

Even if you play 9-a-side at the weekend in the U12/U13, it is advisable to play the majority of the final games in smaller numbers. This allows you to ensure more individual development in U12/U13 training.

The reason? More action for EVERY player!

Spread the word! Share these exercises with your fellow U12/U13 coaches!

Help us reach even more coaches. For our vision that every child and young person all over the world can experience better and child-friendly football training. Share the page with your U12/U13 coaching group or send it to your youth leaders (coaching directors).

Together we can put youth football first!

Selected exercises and

training sessions for U12/U13

Our video platform offers content that has been specially created for U12/U13 training. Switching game forms, catching games, numerous 1v1 exercises and much more. You can test the platform for one day free of charge!

Start your free trial