11 is the age at which a player truly becomes aware of the space available to them on a football pitch. By this point, their close control of the ball should allow them more time to look up and see what is around them while they should also have the confidence in their dribbling skills to be able to run with the ball with their heads up and take opponents on.

Using space effectively is something that all the best players in the world do. It’s the reason that the likes of Andreas Iniesta and David Silva can make things look so easy. We’ve put together these drills that can help 11-year-olds make the most of their newfound awareness of space and teach them how to make the best use of it.

 

Spanish First Touch in Football

The masters of creating space with a first touch are the Spanish. It’s what underpinned Spain’s dominance of the international game between 2008 and 2014 and it’s one of the many reasons that made Barcelona one of the best teams in the world to watch.

Spanish First Touch is a drill that can start players on the path to mastering how to play like some of Spain’s greats and make a fundamental change to their game.

How To Carry Out The Drill

Have players pair off and set up a number of diamonds using cones. The aim is for one player to pass the ball to the other, who then has to use his first touch to knock the ball around the cone and then play a pass back to his partner who does the same.

Remember to time the practice and switch pairs every now and then to keep it engaging.

Benefits Of The Drill

At this point, plenty of children will still be stopping the ball dead when it comes to them. Spanish First Touch will get them out of this habit, teaching them how to move into space at the same time as controlling the ball. The ball should never come to a stop during this drill.

 

Three Versus One Passing Challenge

Three Versus One is a practice designed to show children how playing the correct pass can help open up more space for their team to take advantage of. It’s very simple and a drill you see used across the world and across different age and ability groups.

How To Set Up The Drill

Set up a small playing area with three attackers and one defender. The basic premise is that the three attackers have to pass the ball between each other while the defender attempts to win possession back.

How To Carry Out The Drill

The focus is on correct passing techniques such as weighting the pass well and accuracy while the attackers also need to move into space in order to receive the ball and increase the options available to the player in possession. Introduce ideas such as a first-time passing and 1-2’s, you should also encourage them to count the number of successful passes and keep track of their top score.

Remember to praise and encourage defenders to work hard, they are completing a difficult task and have much to learn from this practice. Time the length of the practice and switch roles every 2 minutes.

Once the children have become accustomed to the idea of three versus one, you can make it five versus two, eight versus three or any variation you like. As long as the drill is focussing on making and using space, then it’s going to be worthwhile to a player’s long term development.

 

Scoring Zone

Sometimes, the best way to create space is to get the ball out wide which is something that this practice will teach.

How To Set Up This Drill

Set up an area with score zones in each of the four corners. Two players take up positions in the middle and two other players on the outside patrolling down either side.

How To Carry Out The Drill

One of those players on the outside begins by kicking the ball into the middle with the player who gains control of it first becoming the attacker.

Their aim is to dribble the ball into one of the corners to score a point. They can use either of the players out wide to help with this via one-twos which can help create space to take them away from the defender. Should the defender gain possession, then the roles are reversed and they now are tasked with reaching the corner with the other player taking on the job of stopping them.

 

Final Thoughts

These football training ideas for 11-year-olds encourage players to start thinking about space and using the full playing area. They also cover other skills such as ball control, teamwork, passing, and defending. If your child is looking for football training that will increase their overall ability as a player, try one of our sessions to see how we can help them become the best player they can be.