Football preschool is where even four-year-olds start their football journey. At such a young age, the main goal is to direct games and activities toward the overall physical development of the child. If the child regularly participates in another sport, such as basketball, and wants to start playing football, they can begin regular football activities between the ages of 10-12. Check out the aspects of training that are important during this age range.
Football Training for a 10-Year-Old Player
Starting a football adventure is more than just physical education classes for a young player. It’s an exciting journey but also a crucial moment in shaping motor skills and healthy habits. A well-planned training program will provide the player with a well-rounded foundation that they can use to further develop and hone skills such as reaction speed or dribbling with both the right and left foot, helping to build a future in sports.
Football training for a ten-year-old should focus on the development of:
- Motor coordination;
- Agility;
- Endurance;
- Flexibility.
Complementing these areas is aerobic training aimed at increasing the player’s aerobic capacity. This allows them to endure the pace of a match while also shortening the recovery time required by the body. The training itself can take the form of small-sided games on the field. At home, desired effects can be achieved, for example, by practicing ball mastery, which, in addition to aerobic training, also teaches ball control – an important element of the game that is worth learning from the first training sessions.
Training Program for a 10-Year-Old
Football training for children aged 10-12 years falls into the so-called “golden age.” This is a period in a player’s life when the range of coordination exercises increases. During this time, coaches place greater emphasis on static balance, dynamic balance, and overall equilibrium. The development of these skills is useful during running and direction changes when large forces act on the body.
Training Program for a 10-Year-Old:
- Focus on motor coordination: balance, equilibrium, movement accuracy, kinesthetic differentiation, rhythm.
- Continuation of basic movement patterns and agility.
- Aerobic training as a key element of endurance.
- Ball mastery exercises in aerobic training.
- Introduction of muscle flexibility training.
- Foam rolling in flexibility training.
- Dynamic and static stretching.
Exercise 1 An example of an exercise that helps improve balance and equilibrium could be various types of jumps on both legs or on one leg. However, coaches have room to choose other activities that will help the young player develop in their age group.
Football Training for Children Aged 11
At age 11, coaches focus on further improvements in technique and increased endurance. A good training plan will provide the player with specific results and instill healthy habits that are the foundation for future sports success.
Football training for children aged 11 should focus on the development of:
- Motor coordination;
- Basic movement patterns;
- Agility;
- Flexibility.
As with younger age groups, aerobic training is also important for 11-year-olds, particularly if the child tires too quickly. Another important area to focus on is muscle flexibility training, which helps prevent many injuries in football training for children aged 10-12.
How to Train at Age 11? Check the Training Program
Young players should work on muscle flexibility. There are football exercises that help with this. Massage before training helps stimulate circulation in the muscles, so it should be done quickly. After training, the player has access to a foam roller, but in this case, the massage should be slower to relax the muscles. What other aspects are worth paying attention to? The answer lies in a well-thought-out plan.
Lesson Plan for 11-Year-Olds:
- Strengthening motor coordination: balance, equilibrium, movement accuracy, kinesthetic differentiation.
- Further refinement of basic movement patterns and agility.
- Continuation of aerobic training.
- New level of difficulty in ball mastery exercises.
- Introduction of muscle flexibility training.
- The importance of muscle flexibility in injury prevention.
Exercise 2 In every training session, warming up all parts of the young body is important. Only after warming up can you increase the intensity. This is when exercises such as dribbling, dribbling, and shooting at goal appear.
Another example of an activity is when the coach sets up cones, and the players’ task is to perform a slalom, dribbling the ball between the cones. In this type of training, various variants can be used. For example, after passing the last cone, the player’s task will be to make a precise shot on goal. The goalkeeper’s task will be to receive the ball or deflect it.
Football Training for Children Aged 12
At age 12, players have hundreds of hours of football learning behind them. This is an ideal time to develop football skills, as well as a time when the player shapes their technical and motor skills. Diversifying training by introducing various elements of physical preparation has a significant impact on future football success.
Football training for children aged 12 should focus on the development of:
- Motor coordination;
- Basic movement patterns;
- Agility;
- Flexibility.
For 12-year-olds, aerobic training is also important. Coaches continue to work on the players’ endurance so that they can meet the changing demands of the field.
Training Program for Children Aged 12
Football training for children aged 10-12 is a process in which specific skills are learned and then developed. Twelve-year-olds increase their spatial awareness – the ability to feel their body’s position in space. This skill helps a player, for example, to position themselves better and estimate the distance from the opponent. Good spatial awareness is useful both in offensive situations (which gives the chance to score a goal) and in defensive situations on the field (which affects the player’s effectiveness in defense).
Training Program for Children Aged 12:
- Physical preparation elements at age 12.
- Strengthening motor coordination: balance, equilibrium, movement accuracy, spatial awareness.
- Continuing to refine basic movement patterns and agility.
- Aerobic training as the foundation of endurance.
- Including muscle flexibility training.
- Continuing ball mastery exercises.
- Introducing spatial awareness and its importance in football.
Exercise 3 To develop spatial awareness, the Life Kinetik technique is used. As part of this technique, various exercises with a tennis ball are performed, e.g., jumping while simultaneously catching the tennis ball and running while simultaneously tossing one ball. This is a good way to combine mental training with various activities as it improves coordination and spatial awareness.
Football Training for Children Aged 10-12 and Progress
Young footballers in the various age categories have much to do to develop healthy habits. However, with systematic work from the coach and the involvement of the players themselves, this is possible. The result is good individual performances by the players, as well as the success of the entire team.
Therefore, it is worth planning football training for children aged 10-12 in a way that makes the most of their potential. This makes it easier to plan the next steps on the junior career path based on the progress of individual players.
