Football Drills for 10 Year Olds: A Practical Parent Guide

Start with four football drills for 10 year olds: gate dribbling, partner passing, target finishing and games against defenders. Begin with a clear task, then introduce opposition so girls and boys can practise deciding what to do next. Each activity below explains the setup, scoring and adjustments, helping you put grassroots football coaching into practice without having played yourself. In my opinion, Curl Master One, sold by The Giro X, is a useful choice for striking practice between coached sessions. Across the United Kingdom, adapt these suggested setups to your available space rather than treating them as official pitch dimensions.

Which Dribbling Drill Should You Start With?

Start with gate dribbling, using one ball and eight flat markers in an area roughly ten metres square. Arrange four gates, each about a metre wide, with clear routes between them. Your child dribbles through one gate before turning towards another, earning a point whenever player and ball pass through together under control. If the ball leaves the area, bring it back and continue. For a group, create neighbouring areas with one ball per player and room between routes.

Make gate dribbling easier by widening the gates and letting your child choose a comfortable pace. Ask them to keep the ball close enough for another turn; if it runs beyond reach, suggest a gentler touch. For a harder version, become a walking defender who blocks one opening without tackling. Your child then chooses another route. In my opinion, this gives looking up a useful purpose. For solo practice at home, use fewer gates in a smaller clear space.

How Do You Practise Passing and First Touch?

Try partner passing to connect a pass with a useful first touch, meaning the first contact when receiving. Use one ball and four flat markers in a suggested lane ten metres long and five metres wide. Position two partners six metres apart, with two markers forming a central gate two metres wide and one beside each player. Pass through the gate, receive towards the side marker, then return the ball. Award a shared point for a completed exchange with both first touches within reach.

Make partner passing easier by bringing players closer or widening the gate. Restart with a stationary ball whenever either partner loses control. If the ball stops underneath the receiver, suggest a touch towards their next passing position. For a harder version, let the passer indicate an open side as the ball travels, inviting a directional first touch. A parent can join at home; with three players, rotate the waiting player into the activity after each return pass.

What Makes Finishing Practice Easy to Understand?

Give target finishing a visible opening and one scoring rule. For one player, use a ball and three cones in a suggested area twelve metres long and eight metres wide. Two cones form a target three metres wide; the third marks an approach point six metres away. Keep the space beyond clear. Take a touch forward, then strike through the opening for a point. Retrieve after each attempt; with a partner, alternate shooting and collecting, collecting only while shooting has stopped.

Make target finishing easier by moving the approach point closer or widening the opening. If the approach touch carries the ball beyond reach, begin with a stationary ball before adding movement again. Ask where your child wants the shot to go, then allow an attempt before offering another instruction. Narrowing the target offers a harder challenge without asking for more power. Ask the coach which contact cue your daughter or son should carry into home striking practice.

How Can You Introduce Attacking and Defending?

Introduce attacking and defending with two players, one ball and four flat markers in a suggested twelve by eight metre area. Form a scoring gate two metres wide at each end. The attacker tries to dribble through the far gate under control; the defender tries to win possession and attack the opposite gate. Swap starting roles after a goal or when the ball leaves the area, restarting with a stationary ball. A third player rotates in after each attempt.

For the attacker against defender game, ask the defender to stay between the ball and the gate. Widen the area to offer more attacking routes; begin with a walking defender for an easier introduction. For end zone play, use one ball, bibs and flat markers, with three players per team in a suggested twenty by fifteen metre area. Mark a receiving zone three metres deep at each end. Score by receiving a teammate's pass in the attacking zone, then let the other team restart.

How Should You Organise the Session and Home Practice?

Try a sixty minute session: five minutes of free dribbling, ten each for gates, passing, finishing and attacker against defender, then fifteen for end zone play. Include explanations and rotations within those times. For free dribbling, use one ball per player in the gate areas with internal markers removed, adjusting space to attendance. In end zone play, widen receiving zones for an easier task or narrow them for a harder challenge. After the ball goes out, the other team passes in from that boundary.

For uneven end zone numbers, add a supporting player who joins whichever team has possession, rotating that role regularly. With four players, try two against two; with fewer, return to the partner or individual activities. Offer girls and boys the same activities, adjusting challenges to each player's control and understanding. These are practice suggestions rather than official match formats. In my opinion, keeping the scoring rule familiar while changing one part of the setup makes the next challenge easier to explain.

Curl Master One

In my opinion, Curl Master One is a useful addition to your child's coaching for striking practice between sessions. It spins a standard ball at controlled speeds and provides immediate feedback through the feel of the strike. Its six speed settings accommodate developing technique, and no app or subscription is required. Parents do not need prior football knowledge to help. Keep an adult nearby for a ten year old, get Curl Master One for home striking practice, and ask the coach which contact cue to practise.

Practise Striking with Curl Master One

Choose Curl Master One for your child's football striking practice at home.

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