Your season
Who you are coaching, and what you are teaching them.
Your team
U12 Girls, playing 9v9 — what that actually means on a Tuesday.
Read it — about two minutes
Where their heads are
- Formal operational stage (Piaget) — beginning to think in abstract terms and address hypothetical situations
- THE DAWNING OF TACTICAL AWARENESS
- A systematic approach to problem solving appears; the game must let them think creatively and solve problems while moving
Where their bodies are
- Average age for the beginning of pubescence is 10 in girls (range 7-14)
- Increases in exercise amount and intensity do not necessarily increase aerobic fitness in children
- Strength building requires overloading muscles more than endurance activities does
- Flexibility work is key to injury prevention
What they care about
- Whether a child enters puberty early or late has important psychosocial implications
- Most children seek peers most like them; an opportunity to introduce the value of cultural diversity
- Developing a conscience, morality, and a scale of values
- Beginning to spend more time with friends and less with parents
Where this group is starting
- A wide range in one group, which is the normal case and the one the material is written for.
What you are working on · 4 goals
Suggested for your team — keep them, or adjust.
Own the SpaceSpreading out across the whole field when your team has the ball.
Why it matters
Creates room to play, and forces defenders to run farther to cover you.
On the field, say
"Wingers, touch the sidelines. Forwards, push their back line deep."
The deeper cut
Width touchline to touchline, length as vertical stretch, depth as drop outlets behind the ball. In a 3-3-2 the outside backs fan wide while the two strikers pin the opponent's center backs.
Taught in sessions 2, 4, 7, 9, 11 of the arc.
Create AnglesGiving the ball-carrier at least two open teammates to pass to at all times.
Why it matters
Keeps the player on the ball from getting trapped or panicking under pressure.
On the field, say
"Don't hide behind defenders — show your jersey and make a triangle."
The deeper cut
Support networks built on triangles and diamonds. In a 3-3-2 the center midfielder is the pivot connecting the back line to the attacking pair.
Taught in sessions 2, 4, 7, 9, 11 of the arc.
The 3 Ds of DefendingSlowing the opponent down, blocking their passes, and tackling together.
Why it matters
Stops the other team running straight down the middle for easy shots.
On the field, say
"Slow them down, don't dive in. Second player, cover the pass."
The deeper cut
Pressure — first defender delays the ball-carrier. Cover — second defender behind and inside. Balance — third defender holds the far side.
Taught in sessions 5, 6, 8, 10 of the arc.
Hunt in PacksSwarming the opponent the instant you lose the ball.
Why it matters
The ball is easiest to steal back in the first few seconds, before they get organized.
On the field, say
"Five-second rule. React the second we lose it."
The deeper cut
Immediate counter-pressing, closing primary passing lanes, disrupting the counter before it forms.
Taught in sessions 8, 10 of the arc.