Football Drills & Trainingby Play 2 Earn Sports

Football drills for U6:67 for 4 and 5 year olds

At this age a drill is really a game. Every player has a ball, and the rules take a few seconds to explain.

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

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See all 67 U6 drills in the app
The sample drill Slow Pass Means Go: six players on a green pitch.
Try itSlow Pass Means Go

Drag a player, then press play. These are sample names: sign in and your real roster imports automatically. Try your own names, numbers and kit.

Drills written for under 6s, usually 4 and 5 year olds. Most are games of tag, gates and races, with a ball for each player and plenty of movement. Here are a few to look at, and the app has all 67, each one playing in 3D.

8 of 67

Gate Dribbling Hunt: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Gate Dribbling Hunt

10 min · 9 players

Dribble through as many open cone gates as possible before the time runs out.

  • Keep your head up to spot a free gate
  • Turn with the inside of your foot
Follow the Leader Dribble: 10 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Follow the Leader Dribble

8 min · 10 players

Copy the leader's dribble path and stop or turn the moment the leader does.

  • Watch the leader's hips, not the ball
  • Stop the ball dead with your sole
2v2 on a Tiny Pitch: 5 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

2v2 on a Tiny Pitch

8 min · 5 players

Play 2v2 with no goalkeepers on a tiny pitch.

  • Pass, then find space
  • Use the neutral helper
Two Hungry Sharks: 6 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Two Hungry Sharks

8 min · 6 players

A shark dribbles after the little fish, then rolls the ball to a second shark who joins the hunt and freezes a fish with a tag.

  • Sharks, tap the ball with tiny kicks so it stays close to your toes
  • Fish, look for the empty water far away from both sharks
Red Castle, Blue Castle: 15 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Red Castle, Blue Castle

10 min · 15 players

Two castles race to dribble out to the middle, grab a treasure cone and bring it home, with one point for every cone in the castle.

  • Tiny taps with the toes on the way out, so the ball stays close enough to touch
  • Put your foot on top of the ball before you bend down for the treasure cone
Wolves And Walking Gates: 11 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Wolves And Walking Gates

10 min · 11 players

Friends roll the ball to each other through magic gates and watch out for two wolves, while a gate mover carries a gate somewhere new.

  • Use the inside of your foot like a little putter and roll it between the two cones
  • Call your friend's name and point at the gate before you roll the ball
Tiny Pitch Two Against Two: 7 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Tiny Pitch Two Against Two

12 min · 7 players

Score by stopping the ball on the goal line in a 2v2 with no keepers and swap teams after every goal.

  • The defender nearest the ball presses, the other one covers the middle of the tiny pitch
  • A goal is the ball stopped on the line, so slow down and place it instead of blasting it
Pirates Knock It Out: 9 players at the start of the drill, in 3D on a green pitch. U6

Pirates Knock It Out

14 min · 9 players

Keep the ball away from three pirates inside the big square, using the weaker foot to push it clear of their swipes.

  • Turn your back sideways and put the weaker foot on the far side of the ball, so the pirate's swipe hits your strong side
  • Keep the ball moving at a walking pace; a still ball is the easiest one to knock out

59 more U6 drills are in the app, each playing in 3D with the full set-up and steps.

See all 67 U6 drills in the app

What works at U6

One ball each

Young players do not share well yet, and they do not need to. A ball each means no waiting.

Short and silly

Give the game a story, such as pirates and treasure, and change it every few minutes.

Praise the try

Celebrate the effort and the fun. Skill and results can wait.

Questions

What age is U6?

U6 means under 6, usually 4 and 5 year olds. The exact cut-off depends on your association.

How long should a U6 drill run?

Most U6 drills in the library run for 5 to 12 minutes. Stop sooner if attention drifts.

How many players do I need?

Most need 3 to 12 players, and many work with any number.

See all 67 U6 drills in the app

Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Get early access
About the football drills app