Pre-season Considerations for Youth Players

Pre-season is a crucial time for football players of all ages. It's a period to build fitness, develop skills, and prepare mentally for the upcoming season.

However, the approach to pre-season work should be tailored to the specific needs and developmental stages of different age groups.

Here, this blog will explore the best practices for pre-season football work for youth players and some considerations to take into account

Key Consideration #1

Youth Players are not Adult Players - Play the Long Game

Whilst the importance of pre-season is well documented for adult and elite players so that they can “hit the ground running” for those first competitive fixtures, the same is not necessarily true for youth players. 

Although pre-season can still be a vital part of the plan for their development, depending on their age, youth players have years of development and training still to come. There isn’t as much need to cram in the fitness and technical work required over a small number of weeks as the season approaches, particularly the younger the players are. 

A well structured, yet flexible and adaptable plan over the course of a season (and/or longer) will serve youth players much better in the long run than a single block of training.

3 v 3 POSSESSION DRILL

Key Consideration #2

The Impact of Growth and Maturation

Equally, a player’s chronological age or team (e.g. 12 year olds playing as U13’s) is not necessarily representative of their true biological state (their physical maturity). 

Growth and maturation can have a significant impact on a player’s development. For example, research suggests that players within the same chronological age group (e.g., U14’s) can differ in their biological ages by 3 years or more. Just take a look at Romelu Lukaku as an U13!

With this in mind it’s vital that players are working on appropriate training that will best aid their development and reduce the risk of them being susceptible to injury or overtraining.

Football Speed - At Maturation

Key Consideration #3

Training Content

As highlighted at the beginning of this piece, the pre-season period provides an ideal time for physical, technical, and psychological training as well as team-building exercises to increase team cohesion and communication. Based upon the key considerations above make sure the content of your training targets one or more of these areas and try to avoid blindly copying some of the things you see on social media - not all of these are appropriate or necessary - particularly when training youth athletes!

As a brief guide, we have put together some recommendations, below, for training content for youth player’s of different ages and level of maturity that we feel are the most appropriate during the pre-season period.

Pass And Move - Possession Session

Pre-Adolescent Players / Ages U9-U12 / or Less Biologically Mature

Focus: Fun and Fundamentals

At this age, the primary goals are to foster a love for the game and develop basic football skills. Pre-season work should be engaging and enjoyable, emphasising learning through play and exploration. Children today aren’t as physically active over the summer holidays and so simple re-introductions to certain activities can be enough.

Physical Fitness:

General Fitness: Incorporate activities that improve overall fitness, such as running, jumping, and agility exercises. These should be disguised as fun games like tag or obstacle courses.

Flexibility and Coordination: Introduce simple stretching routines and balance exercises. Activities like yoga for kids can be both fun and beneficial.

Skill Development:

• Ball Control: Focus on dribbling, passing, and shooting through fun drills and games. Try to avoid having children waiting in long lines and get them all practicing something to keep them engaged.

  
  

• Small-Sided Games: Use small-sided games (3v3 or 4v4) to encourage more touches on the ball and better understanding of the game as well as developing the sense of playing as a team.

Mental Preparation:

• Positive Reinforcement: Encourage them with positive feedback to build their confidence and love for the game.

  
  

• Teamwork and Sportsmanship: Teach the importance of working together and respecting teammates, opponents, and coaches.

  
  

Adolescent Players / Ages U12-19 / or Going through Significant Physical and Biological Changes

Focus: Learning and Adapting

At this age, the primary goals are to try and maintain a players skills and abilities whilst they adjust, learn, and adapt to their body's physical changes. Rapid changes in height, leg length, and psychological maturity can all occur in these ages and it’s essential that patience is a key consideration in such scenarios.

Physical Fitness:

• Flexibility and Coordination: Introduce stretching routines and balance exercises to help player’s adjust to physical changes. Perform simple balance and co-ordination exercises to support this.

  
  

• Movement Skills: Expose players to running, jumping, twisting, turning, sprinting and any other movements you can think of in a careful and controlled manner. Performing these movements with good technique is key to avoiding injury and aiding physical development.

Skill Development:

• Ball Re-Introduction: Go back to basics and let players practice passing, dribbling, shooting, and heading in isolated and integrated scenarios. Both repetitive block type practice as well as game-based learning can be beneficial here.

  
  

• Games: Be conscious of large amounts of concentrated games for these players, try to mix things up to give them adequate rest and recovery.

Mental Preparation:

• Resilience: Physical changes can often lead to reductions in performance and technical skill for many players, encourage and motivate them to continue and reassure them to be patient as they adapt and learn.

  
  

• Adaptability: Help them recognise that things change and they have to be prepared to adapt to overcome such challenges.

Adolescent Players / Ages U12-U19 / or Biologically Mature

Focus: Performance and Position-Specific Skills

These players are at a stage where they can start to focus more on performance and honing specific skills relevant to their positions as they are now nearly fully developed towards their adult state.

Physical Fitness:

• Endurance Training: Include longer runs as well as long and short high intensity interval training to build aerobic fitness. Circuit training can also be effective for when coaches want to see their players “working hard”.

  
  

• Strength and Conditioning: Introduce basic weight training and bodyweight exercises to build strength. Plyometric exercises can be used to develop explosive power.

Skill Development:

• Technical Skills: Continue to develop technical skills such as passing, dribbling, and shooting with more advanced drills. Position-specific drills can help players develop the skills needed for their roles.

  
  

• Tactical Understanding: Teach more complex tactical concepts, such as formations, set pieces, and game strategies. Use video clips where possible to help players understand and improve their game.

Mental Preparation:

• Goal Setting: Encourage players to set personal and team goals for the season. This can help them stay motivated and focused.

  
  

• Mental Toughness: Teach techniques for managing stress and staying focused during games. Visualisation and mindfulness exercises can be beneficial.

Conclusion

Pre-season football work for youth players should aim to tailor training programs to the specific needs of different age groups and the biological maturity of the players. 

Coaches can ensure that their players are physically fit, technically proficient, and mentally prepared, whilst also remembering that hopefully these players will play for many years to come and have plenty of time to develop. 

Whether it's instilling a love for the game in youth players, developing performance, or refining skills and preventing injuries, a well-structured pre-season can set the stage for success.