Editorial training journal

Coached by Frankie

Youth sport, discipline, amateur performance

A Weekly Session Plan for Under-14 Squads

Three training days, one recovery day and the reasoning behind each block

Most under-14 squads in Buenos Aires get three evenings on the pitch, not five. School runs until late afternoon, homework waits at home, and Saturday morning is the match. Any plan that ignores that reality gets abandoned by the second week, so the layout below assumes roughly seventy-five minutes of real work per session once warm-up and water breaks are counted.

Tuesday carries the technical block: passing under light pressure, first touch away from the defender, and a small-sided game to finish. Thursday shifts to shape and pressing triggers, with the coaching point kept to one idea so players actually retain it. Friday is short and light, mostly mobility and set pieces, and it doubles as the recovery day before Saturday. When a session runs short, the small-sided game stays and the isolated drill goes, because the game is where the week's idea gets tested.

The same structure scales down for futsal or seven-a-side: fewer players per group, tighter spaces, and shorter blocks. Coaches can keep the order and cut the duration, but changing the sequence mid-week usually costs more than it saves.

A Weekly Session Plan for Under-14 Squads

Coaches usually ask the same things before running this plan with an Under-14 squad: how much time each block really needs, what to do when the pitch is shared, and which parts can be dropped without losing the point of the week. The answers below stay close to what the three-day layout actually allows.

How long should each training evening run?: Ninety minutes is the working figure, including the warm-up and the cool-down. If the group only gets seventy, cut the small-sided games to two rounds instead of four. The technical block at the start stays, because it sets the tone the rest of the session builds on.
What has to be ready before the players arrive?: Cones, bibs and balls laid out for the first drill, and a clear idea of which coaching point belongs to that evening. Under-14 players lose focus fast when the coach is still setting up. If two coaches are available, one can run the warm-up while the other finishes the pitch.
Can the plan work for futsal or seven-a-side?: Yes, with smaller spaces and shorter blocks. On a futsal court the conditioning work becomes repeated short bursts rather than longer runs, and the small-sided games shrink to three against three. The order of the week stays the same: technical work early, games in the middle, lighter load before the match.
What gets cut when a session runs short?: The conditioning block goes first, then one round of the small-sided game. Squeezing everything in is the most common mistake, and it usually costs the main idea of the evening. Better to finish with one clear coaching point than four half-taught ones.
How is the recovery day handled?: The day before the match stays light: mobility, a short walk-through of set pieces and no heavy running. Players who arrive tired from school should not be pushed through conditioning work on that day. The point is to reach Saturday fresh, not to add volume for its own sake.
Where does this plan not apply?: It assumes a squad training three evenings a week with a match on Saturday. Teams training twice, or playing midweek, need a different spread. It also does not replace individual professional advice for a player carrying a physical limitation, and it makes no promise of results beyond giving the week a clear structure.

Questions about a specific category or a shared pitch can go through the contact page, and the general terms for using this material are on the terms page.

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