The three skills a U10 footballer needs most — plus the clean pick-up off the ground that makes ladies football its own game.
Catch, Kick, Solo
- Ladies football
- U10
- 60 min
- 12–20 girls
- 2 coaches
- Effort 3/5
- One third of a pitch
- u10
- catch
- kicking
- solo
- clean pick-up
Kit: A size 3 football per girl, 24 cones, 8 bibs, 6 tall cones for targets
Roll, Chase, Pick
Setup: A 25×25m square. Every girl has a ball in her hands to start.
How it works: Girls jog anywhere in the square, soloing or bouncing when they feel brave. On PICK, every girl rolls her ball a few metres ahead, chases it and lifts it clean off the ground with two hands — in ladies football that pick-up is legal, so we practise it from night one. On SWAP, she rolls her ball away and chases someone else's. On STATUE, ball overhead, tallest statue wins. Keep it moving for eight minutes, calls every 20–30 seconds, then two quiet lengths of walking with the ball to settle.
What to say
- “Bend your knees, bum down — don't fold in the middle.”
- “Watch the ball all the way into your hands.”
- “Roll it soft so YOU can catch it, not the girl beside you.”
Easier
Ball starts dead on the ground instead of rolling; walk to it.
Harder
Pick up on the move without breaking stride; weak-hand solo after every pick.
The Clean Pick-Up Factory
Setup: Pairs, one ball per pair, each pair in their own 10×5m lane marked by two cones. Roller at one end, picker at the other.
How it works: The roller sends the ball down the lane — dead straight and gentle to start. The picker runs to meet it, slows with short steps, and lifts it clean with two hands while staying on her feet, then carries it back and swaps roles. Count clean pick-ups as a pair for 90 seconds, rest, go again and beat the score. Round three the roller can send it slightly left or right so the picker has to adjust her feet. This is the skill that wins U10 ladies matches — the ball spends half the game on the ground.
The technique, step by step
- Run to meet the ball and slow down with short, quick steps
- Get low — bend at the knees, hips down, back straight
- Two hands behind and under the ball as it arrives
- Scoop it up into your chest and drive away in one move
Key details
- Stay on your feet — kneeling or sitting on the ground is a free against you
- Eyes follow the ball right into the hands, not up at the pitch
Common mistakes
- Bending from the waist with straight legs — the ball rolls under her fingers
- One-handed swipes at a moving ball — start dead, earn the moving pick
What to say
- “Little steps in — arrive slow, leave fast.”
- “Knees bend, back stays proud.”
- “Scoop it into your chest, then look up.”
Easier
Ball placed dead in the middle of the lane; picker walks in.
Harder
Roller adds pace and angle; picker must pick on the run without stopping, then bounce and return a handpass.
Solo Snake
Setup: Each pair sets up their own snake of four cones, about 3m apart, anywhere in the area. One ball per girl.
How it works: Both girls weave their own snake at the same time from opposite ends — carry, and try a solo (kick to yourself) at each cone. U10 rule of thumb: take as many steps as you need, the solo just has to happen near the cone. When they pass each other mid-snake, eyes up so they don't collide. Two minutes, then make the snake longer or tighter — their choice, their pitch. Finish with Snake Race: first girl to the end with two honest solos wins the round.
What to say
- “Drop the ball onto your laces — don't kick fresh air.”
- “Toes up to meet it, catch it soft.”
- “Eyes up between solos — see your sister coming.”
Easier
Bounce at each cone instead of a solo; straighten the snake.
Harder
Alternate feet at each cone; add a clean pick-up of a dead ball at the snake's tail before the return run.
Kick to the Castle
Setup: Pairs again, 12–15m apart, a tall cone with a ball balanced on top (the castle) halfway between them. One ball per pair to kick.
How it works: Take turns kicking from the hands to your partner. A caught kick is 1 point. Knock the ball off the castle and it's 3 — but the castle rebuild costs you: whoever knocked it sprints to reset it while her partner counts to ten out loud. First pair to 10 points, then rotate pairs so everyone kicks to somebody new. Last five minutes: bring pairs together into fours and play 2v2 catch-the-kick across the same space, castle still live in the middle.
What to say
- “Toes down, ankle locked — like kicking with a boot of stone.”
- “Drop the ball onto the foot, don't throw it up.”
- “Hands make a window in front of your face to catch.”
Easier
Move pairs to 8m; catches can bounce once first.
Harder
Weak foot only for one round; castle knocked with the weak foot is worth 5.
Circle Down
Setup: Balls into the bag, girls into a circle, coaches in the circle too.
How it works: Slow stretches: calves, quads with a partner's shoulder for balance, arms across the chest. Fifteen seconds each. Then the question, then a whole-circle round of applause for tonight's bravest pick-up.
What to say
- “Hold the stretch still — count it in your head.”
- “Wobbling is fine, that's why your partner's shoulder is there.”
- “Listen while your teammate answers.”
Ask the players: Who picked a moving ball clean off the ground tonight for the first time? Name her, clap her, and tell them the next match ball that hits the grass belongs to us.
PitchPlans coaching team
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