Week 7 · U12
First touch & receiving
Objectives — what the players will do
- 1Receive on the back foot (the foot farther from the ball) so the first touch already faces up the field
- 2Check over the shoulder BEFORE the ball arrives
- 3Decide as the ball travels: turn when free, bounce it back when a defender is tight
Play 1 — starts when the second player arrives
3v1 Keep-Away Circles
As players arrive, form 3v1 keep-away circles. Rotate the middle player every 60 seconds. Quietly count who receives side-on (body open, able to see the whole circle) and who receives flat-footed facing the passer — that is tonight's work.
Practice — the one taught activity of the night
Receive, Turn, Play Forward
Groups of three with cone gates: server passes firm, receiver checks their shoulder while the ball travels, receives across the body on the half-turn (turning halfway as the ball arrives so you already face forward), and plays through a gate. Team mantra: See it, Solve it, Show it. Rotate every 4-5 reps. Progress to a defender behind the receiver: if the defender is tight, one-touch bounce back to the server; if the defender drops off, turn and drive.
No defender, slower service, bigger gates — groove the shoulder check and the open body first.
Defender fully live behind the receiver, and the receiver must call out something they saw on the scan ("two behind!") before their touch.
Play 2 — always finish playing the real game
5v3 Half-Turn Game
Possession game, 5 attackers vs 3 defenders in a rectangle. A normal completed pass is 1 point; a reception on the half-turn that goes forward to another teammate is worth 3. Floods players with the exact picture from the practice.
Key coaching points — in your own words
- ·What did you SEE when you checked your shoulder — and what did you do about it?
- ·Which foot lets you receive already facing forward?
- ·Defender tight on your back: turn or bounce it back? Why?
- ·Can your first touch take you away from the pressure instead of stopping the ball dead?
Add defenders and cut thinking time — the picture must be built before the ball arrives.
Fewer defenders, bigger spaces, and let receivers take an extra settling touch.
Game-day focus — watch for this on Saturday
Saturday in the 1-2-3-1, watch the midfield three: do they receive side-on so they can play forward? Help them by reminding the two defenders to step up toward midfield when we have the ball — that keeps the bounce-back pass short and safe.
Message to forward to your parents
First touch decides everything at this age. Watch for your child checking over their shoulder before the ball arrives — that little head turn is the most important habit in soccer. Ask them: what did you see on your scans tonight?
This week's two videos
Prep the night before; copy the activity on the field.
Scanning in attack | Session two | Passing and receiving
Watch the night before to understand the idea
A full FA session on scanning and receiving with real coaches and real interventions — the closest match to the C-license Training Session Model our older bands use. Watch before Week 1 and lift the practice design plus the questioning style: what did you see, what did it tell you? This is the backbone of your Introduce and Develop weeks.
Watch on YouTubeReceiving And Turning Football/Soccer Drill | Technical Training | U11 U12 U13
A drill you can copy on the field
A clean technical pattern for receiving and turning built for exactly this age band — right for Week 1 when you are grooving body shape before adding chaos. Insist on a real scan before every reception, not a token glance. Reps here buy you speed in the games later in the month.
Watch on YouTube