Football drills
Football positional play drills
7 free Football drills for positional play, each with the setup, how it runs, what to coach, and how to make it harder or easier.
7 drills
GamePositional play7v7 play through the thirdsA 7v7 game on a pitch split into thirds. A goal counts double if the team built it through all three thirds instead of going long.25 min · 12–16 players · U13+
DefendingPositional playBack four: shift, cover and dropA back four and keeper defend against six attackers, shifting with the ball, covering the full-back and stepping up or dropping as a line.25 min · 11–14 players · U16+
Positional playPassing & receivingBreaking lines: playing between the unitsBuilders play through two pressing lines into midfielders between the units, then on to targets in the far zone, scoring for each line broken.20 min · 14 players · U16+
PressingPositional playHigh press team shape 8v8Eight press a keeper, back four and three midfielders as one unit, jumping together on the pass to the full-back to win it in the wide trap.25 min · 16–18 players · U16+
Positional playPossessionPositional game 4v4+3Two teams of four keep the ball with three neutrals and score by playing from one end neutral to the other through the middle.24 min · 11–14 players · U16+
FinishingPositional playThird-man runs in the final thirdA striker drops to receive and sets first time for a midfielder running past the centre-back the striker pulled out, building to live 4v3 plus keeper.22 min · 8–14 players · U16+
Passing & receivingPositional playThird-man triangle passingThree players beat a blocking defender with a third-man pass, playing into a checking teammate who sets it into a runner.15 min · 4–12 players · U12+