U9 football drills
This is the golden age for skill. Lots of touches, lots of 1v1s, and games that reward bravery on the ball.
The best U9 football drills are short, game-like practices with lots of touches. Master the ball: both feet, first touch, turning, 1v1 moves.
What to focus on at U9
- Master the ball: both feet, first touch, turning, 1v1 moves.
- Small-sided games with a focus (2v2 to 5v5).
- Start teaching simple support angles and passing.
- Rotate positions; avoid fixing roles too early.
U9 rondos drills
U9 warm-ups drills
Traffic lights
Whole squad · 8 to 10 mins
Through the gates
Whole squad · 10 mins
Football movement warm-up
Any · 8 to 10 mins
Rob the nest
8 to 20 (4 teams) · 10 mins
Bib tails tag
6 to 24 · 8 mins
Pairs passing on the move
Pairs (whole squad) · 8 to 10 mins
Keepy-uppy challenge
Any · 5 to 10 mins
Clean up your garden
6 to 20 (2 teams) · 8 to 10 mins
Hospital tag
8 to 24 · 8 mins
Colour call reactions
4 to 20 · 8 mins
Pre-match warm-up routine (15 minutes)
Whole squad · 15 mins
Handball to football
8 to 16 · 10 mins
Dynamic warm-up with a ball each
Any · 10 mins
Coach says
4 to 24 · 8 mins
Stuck in the mud (with a ball)
8 to 24 · 8 mins
Ball tag (pass to tag)
8 to 20 · 8 mins
Football tennis
4 to 12 · 10 mins
Team keepy-uppy circle
4 to 8 per circle · 8 mins
Cat and mouse
Pairs · 6 to 8 mins
Four corners
6 to 20 · 8 mins
Crab football
8 to 16 · 8 mins
Pac-Man tag
8 to 24 · 8 mins
Pass and race
Pairs · 8 mins
Quick feet and sprint
Any · 6 mins
Knee tag
Pairs · 5 mins
Rock, paper, scissors chase
Pairs · 6 mins
Body part stops
4 to 24 · 6 mins
Tunnel ball relay
6 to 20 (teams of 4 to 5) · 6 mins
U9 passing drills
Pass and move square
4 to 6 per square · 10 to 15 mins
Passing gates in pairs
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
Receiving on the half-turn
6 to 12 · 12 mins
Scanning game: colour cones
6 to 16 · 10 to 12 mins
Triangle passing with rotation
3 to 5 per triangle · 10 mins
Diamond passing with a give-and-go
5 to 8 per diamond · 15 mins
One-two (wall pass) relay
6 to 20 (teams of 3 to 5) · 10 mins
Numbers passing (pass in sequence)
8 to 16 · 10 to 15 mins
Circle passing with a centre player
6 to 10 · 10 mins
Passing relay race
6 to 20 (teams of 3 to 4) · 10 mins
Three-line pass and follow
6 to 15 · 10 mins
Pairs passing ladder
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
Cone bowling (passing accuracy)
4 to 20 · 10 mins
Split the defenders pass
6 to 12 · 10 to 15 mins
Wall passing (practise anywhere)
1 or more · 10 mins
Receive across the body (box)
4 to 8 · 10 mins
Clock passing race
8 to 20 (teams of 4 to 5) · 8 to 10 mins
Beat the press: 2v1 in a channel
6 to 15 · 10 mins
Dribble, pass, follow (square warm-up)
6 to 12 · 10 mins
U9 shooting and finishing drills
Receive, turn and shoot
6 to 10 plus a keeper · 15 mins
Two-goal finishing game
8 to 12 plus 2 keepers · 15 mins
Cross and finish: near post, far post
8 to 14 plus a keeper · 15 to 20 mins
Striker movement: check away, then go
4 to 10 plus a keeper · 12 to 15 mins
One-two and shoot
6 to 14 plus a keeper · 15 mins
Shoot and follow in for rebounds
6 to 14 plus a keeper · 10 to 15 mins
World Cup finishing game
6 to 16 plus a keeper · 15 mins
Penalty targets
4 to 16 · 10 mins
2v1 attack and finish
6 to 15 plus a keeper · 15 mins
Race the defender and shoot
6 to 16 plus a keeper · 10 to 15 mins
Dribble through a gate and shoot
6 to 14 plus a keeper · 10 mins
Pass it into the net (side-foot placement)
6 to 14 plus a keeper · 10 mins
Knockout shooting game
6 to 16 plus a keeper · 10 to 15 mins
Weak-foot finishing from angles
6 to 12 plus a keeper · 10 mins
Rapid-fire shooting
4 to 12 plus a keeper · 10 mins
Run-in shoot-out (8 seconds)
4 to 16 plus a keeper · 10 mins
Overlap, cross and finish
5 to 10 plus a keeper · 15 mins
2v1 to goal in waves
6 to 12 plus a keeper · 12 mins
U9 dribbling drills
Sharks and minnows
Whole squad · 10 mins
Dribble the gates (with defenders)
8 to 16 · 12 mins
Robin Hood's treasure
6 to 16 · 10 to 12 mins
Ball mastery circuit
Any number · 10 mins
Turns square (inside, outside, drag-back, Cruyff)
4 to 20 · 10 to 15 mins
Dribble relay race
6 to 20 (teams of 3 to 4) · 10 mins
Slalom dribbling
4 to 20 · 10 mins
King of the ring
6 to 20 · 10 mins
Skill moves at a cone defender
4 to 16 · 10 to 15 mins
Stop on the line
4 to 20 · 10 mins
Shield the ball (1v1 shielding)
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
Follow the leader dribbling
Pairs (whole squad) · 8 to 10 mins
Speed zones (slow, fast, slow)
4 to 20 · 10 mins
Musical cones
6 to 20 · 8 to 10 mins
Cross the river
8 to 20 · 8 to 10 mins
Cone collector (touch the cones)
4 to 20 · 8 mins
Mirror dribbling across a line
Pairs · 8 mins
Croqueta and sole-roll gates
4 to 20 · 10 mins
Head-up dribbling (count the fingers)
4 to 20 · 8 mins
Through the gauntlet
8 to 20 · 10 to 15 mins
Running with the ball race
4 to 20 · 8 mins
Star dribbling (out and back)
4 to 16 · 8 to 10 mins
Weak-foot dribbling lanes
4 to 20 · 8 mins
Escape the chaser
Pairs · 10 mins
Obstacle course dribble
4 to 20 · 10 mins
Ball mastery 10-move challenge
Any · 10 mins (or at home)
Traffic jam (shrinking area)
6 to 20 · 8 mins
Figure-of-eight dribbling
2 to 12 · 8 mins
Cannonballs (dodge the coach's passes)
6 to 20 · 8 mins
U9 1v1 drills
1v1 to goal
6 to 12 plus a keeper · 15 mins
1v1 channels (beat your defender)
4 to 20 (pairs) · 10 to 15 mins
1v1 to four gates
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
1v1 tournament (up and down the pitches)
8 to 20 · 15 mins
1v1 from different starting angles
6 to 14 plus a keeper · 15 mins
1v1 to two small goals
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
Knock the cone 1v1
Pairs (whole squad) · 8 to 10 mins
Winner stays on 1v1
6 to 12 plus a keeper · 10 to 15 mins
Diagonal 1v1 from the corners
6 to 16 · 10 mins
Stop-start 1v1 (mirror line)
Pairs · 8 mins
Named-move 1v1 (bonus points)
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
Two-way 1v1 (win it, attack the other end)
Pairs (whole squad) · 10 mins
Protect the target 1v1
Groups of 3 · 10 mins
Shooting duel (1v1 across two goals)
Pairs · 8 mins
U9 possession drills
Possession with neutrals (4v4+2)
10 · 15 mins
Keep-ball with overloads (5v2 to 5v5)
7 to 12 · 12 to 15 mins
Possession to score through gates
8 to 14 · 15 mins
10-pass game
8 to 16 · 12 to 15 mins
Five passes then score
8 to 14 · 15 mins
Beat the clock possession
8 to 14 · 12 mins
Pass-and-move rule possession
8 to 14 · 12 mins
Safe squares game
6 to 10 · 12 mins
Five mini-goal game
8 to 10 · 15 mins
Find the target, keep it
8 to 10 · 12 mins
4v4 plus wall players
8 to 12 · 15 mins
U9 small-sided games drills
2v2 to four goals
4 per pitch · Games of 2 to 3 mins
3v3 end-zone game
6 per pitch · Games of 3 to 4 mins
4v4 with four corner goals
8 to 10 · 16 mins (4 x 4)
Conditioned game: free wide zones
12 to 18 · 20 mins
5v5 game with the build-out rule
10 to 12 including keepers · 20 mins
3v3 pass or dribble goals
6 (or more pitches) · 15 mins
4v4 with keepers
10 · 15 to 20 mins
Numbers game (called overloads)
8 to 16 · 15 mins
5v5 with two floaters
12 · 15 mins
7v7 switch-of-play game
14 plus keepers · 15 to 20 mins
Line ball (dribble over the line)
8 to 16 · 12 mins
Two-ball chaos game
10 to 16 · 10 mins
Wembley knockout game
8 to 20 · 15 mins
Power play (scorers bring a teammate on)
10 to 16 · 12 to 15 mins
Three-goal game
8 to 14 · 12 to 15 mins
Futsal-style 5v5
10 plus subs · 15 to 20 mins
Silent football game
8 to 16 · 8 to 10 mins
Dribble-in restarts game
10 to 14 · 15 mins
Score off the bounce
8 to 12 plus keepers · 15 mins
U9 patterns of play drills
7v7 2-3-1: wide player and defender rotation
6 to 10 plus a keeper · 15 mins
5-a-side diamond rotation (1-2-1)
5 to 10 · 15 mins
7v7 3-2-1: hold up and arrive
6 to 10 plus a keeper · 15 mins
7v7 2-1-2-1: play through the 10
6 to 10 plus a keeper · 15 mins
5v5 2-2 square rotation
5 to 10 plus a keeper · 10 to 15 mins
7v7 3-1-2: the front two combine
5 to 10 plus a keeper · 15 mins
7v7 2-3-1: rotate and release
6 to 8 plus a keeper · 15 mins
U9 build-up play drills
U9 pressing drills
3v3 press and win (pressing in threes)
6 to 12 · 15 mins
7v7 pressing shape (2-3-1)
14 plus keepers · 15 to 20 mins
Press and cover in pairs
8 to 16 · 12 mins
Counter-press boxes (win it in 5)
8 to 12 · 15 mins
Pressing triggers: traffic lights
8 to 14 · 12 mins
Press the build-up (7v7 and 9v9)
10 to 18 plus keepers · 20 mins
U9 transitions drills
Counter-attack 3v2 to goal
8 to 14 plus keepers · 15 to 20 mins
Continuous waves: 2v1 into 3v2
9 to 16 plus keepers · 15 to 20 mins
Quick restart counter
10 to 16 plus keepers · 15 mins
Coach's ball counter race
8 to 12 plus keepers · 15 mins
Swap! Transition game for young players
6 to 10 · 10 to 12 mins
Switch direction on the whistle
10 to 16 plus keepers · 12 mins
U9 defending drills
1v1 defending: show them outside
6 to 16 · 15 mins
2v2 cover and balance
8 to 16 · 15 mins
Recovery runs: get goal-side
6 to 16 plus a keeper · 10 to 15 mins
Jockeying in pairs
Pairs (whole squad) · 8 mins
Defend the gates (3v3)
6 to 12 · 15 mins
Block tackle technique (safe tackling)
Pairs · 8 mins
Interception game: step in front
6 to 12 · 10 to 12 mins
U9 fitness and agility drills
Zig-zag agility and finish
4 to 16 plus a keeper · 10 mins
Shuttle relay races
6 to 24 (teams of 3 to 4) · 8 to 10 mins
Reaction races
Pairs (whole squad) · 8 mins
Mirror me (pairs agility)
Pairs (whole squad) · 5 to 8 mins
Agility, balance and coordination circuit
4 to 20 · 10 to 15 mins
Dribble shuttles
4 to 20 · 8 mins
Tunnel tag
8 to 24 · 8 mins
Jump and land safely
Any · 8 mins
Cone ladder footwork
Any · 8 mins
3v3 non-stop game
9 to 12 · 15 mins
Brake and turn (deceleration)
Any · 8 mins
Single-leg balance challenges
Pairs · 6 mins
Shuffle and sprint relay
6 to 20 (teams) · 8 mins
Four-square hops (coordination)
Any · 6 mins
Cool-down routine
Any · 8 to 10 mins
Other age groups: U6 · U7 · U8 · U10 · U11 · U12 · U13 · U14 · U15 · U16
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Questions
What should I coach at U9?
This is the golden age for skill. Lots of touches, lots of 1v1s, and games that reward bravery on the ball. Priorities: Master the ball: both feet, first touch, turning, 1v1 moves. Small-sided games with a focus (2v2 to 5v5). Start teaching simple support angles and passing. Rotate positions; avoid fixing roles too early.
What format do U9s play?
In England (FA Future Fit) U9s play 5v5. In Scotland U9s play 7v7. Check your league's rules for pitch and goal sizes.
How long should a U9 session be?
60 to 75 minutes, with practices of 12 to 20 minutes and a game to finish.