Football Training: Individual Technical Training Plan for 12-Year-Olds
At age 12, young athletes are at a prime stage for developing fundamental technical skills in soccer. With personalized coaching, progress can be faster, with immediate corrections, personalized encouragement, and attention to detail.
This plan was designed for an individual technical training session between the coach and the young athlete, focusing on ball control, passing, receiving, dribbling and finishing — always with a fun and motivational component.
🎯 Individual Session Objectives
- Improve ball control and fine touch
- Develop precision in passing and guided reception
- Encourage creative dribbling and changes of direction
- Practice finishing with both feet
- Promote concentration, coordination and enjoyment of training
⏱️ Session Structure (Duration: 60 to 75 minutes)
1. Technical warm-up with ball (10 minutes)
Exercise: Free driving with challenges
- The athlete drives the ball in a zigzag pattern between cones
- The coach suggests variations: left foot only, right foot only, inside, outside
- Finish with movements of change of direction and sudden stops
Objective: activate the body with ball control from the start
2. Pass and reception (15 minutes)
Exercise: Targeted pass and guided reception
- Set up targets (cones, mini-goals or zones) where the athlete must pass the ball
- After the pass, the coach returns the ball with variation (low, chopped)
- The athlete must control and guide the ball for new action
Objective: precision, body orientation and speed of action
3. Control and touch (10 minutes)
Exercise: Control with aerial or chopped ball
- The coach throws the ball (with hands or feet) for the athlete to control with:
- Thigh
- Chest
- Feet (dominant and non-dominant)
Objective: Body control and a soft touch in control
4. Technical dribbling (10 minutes)
Exercise: Symbolic 1x1 with cones or trainer as passive opposition
- The athlete must dribble through obstacles or simulate duels with the coach
- Vary the challenges: feints, braking, acceleration after dribbling
Objective: creativity, fast driving and change of direction
5. Finalization (15 minutes)
Exercise: Running finish with ball
- The coach places the ball in different areas (middle, side, front)
- The athlete leads, prepares and shoots at goal (can be with or without a goalkeeper)
- Stimulation with non-dominant foot included
Objective: Improve accuracy, shooting power and decision making on the move
6. Technical mini-game or final challenge (5-10 minutes)
Example: Marksmanship Challenge
- Place targets (bottles, cones, hoops) in strategic areas of the goal
- The athlete tries to hit the targets with different types of shots
Objective: finish the training with motivation and technical focus
👨🏫 Coach Tips
- Provides constant feedback , valuing effort and attitude
- Adjust the difficulty according to the athlete's level
- Encourages experimentation and use of the non-dominant foot
- It stimulates self-confidence and the pleasure of evolving
✅ Conclusion
Individual training is a powerful tool in the development process. With the right guidance, each session can be an opportunity for technical and personal growth. This plan focuses on details, respects the athlete's pace, and easily adapts to their needs—which is crucial at 12 years old.
