A player looks to turn with the ball past an opponent.

Session programme

Session programme: Moving with the ball and turning to attack

Session

England Football Learning

5 mins - Sep 1, 2025

Programme intentions

This six-week programme aims to help your players:

decide when, where, and how to move with the ball
use their moving with the ball and turning skills to beat the opposition.

If you're short on time, this structured training programme can be used as it is. Pitch sizes in this programme are shown as how long the pitch is x how wide it is, but these are just suggestions.

To make the programme more effective, adapt it to suit your players, your numbers and the space you have. If you want to skip, repeat or amend these sessions – that's fine. It’s up to you how you use this resource.

If you like this idea, download the whole programme and give it a go. And don't forget to share your experience on the England Football Community. We'd love to know how you got on.

If you’re coaching U7s, please note that from the 2026-27 season, changes will be made to the formats to improve the experience young players get across the country. Check out the Future Fit digital content hub to find out more and alter training plans accordingly.

Week one: finding space to attack

Bib steal: Set up a 20x15-yard area. Each player has a bib tucked into their shorts in line with their hip. Players try to steal other bibs while protecting their own. If they steal a bib, they tuck that into their shorts. If they lose their bib, they try to get another one.
Double trouble: Put a goal at each end of your pitch. Have a keeper and a defender at one end with the attackers opposite. Attackers move and combine to try to score. If the defender wins the ball, they work with the keeper to attack the opposite end. When play resets, the next pair have a go.
End zone game: Use the same area but use end zones instead of goals. Have a neutral target player in each end zone. Teams work together to get the ball to a target player to score a point. If they do, they get the ball back and try to get it to the target player at the other end to score again.
Small-sided game: Use the same area again but use the goals at both ends. Players take part in a match to put their learning into action.

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Coaching points

Ask players to think about how they can beat a defender using their movement or a teammate.
Encourage players to look around to identify where the space is, where the opposition is, and where their teammates are.
Encourage players to create passing angles by finding areas of space where the player on the ball can see them.
Ask your players to think about how they time their movement. If they move too early, the defender may follow them and mark. If they move too late, the space may disappear, and the defender can intercept.
Help the players understand the end zone game by relating it to positions on the pitch. Passing into a target player can represent a midfielder playing into the feet of a striker.

On the pitch: week one

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch. You can also get more information about the first week of the programme here.

Week two: escaping the defender

Bib steal: Use half of your pitch for the bib steal arrival activity. Each player has a bib tucked into their shorts in line with their hip. Players try to steal other bibs while protecting their own. If they lose their bib, they try to get another one.
Bib steal: To progress this activity, give a ball to each player and add in a safe zone. The aim of the game is the same, but players can go into the safe zone to be unopposed for a bit if they need to.
Small-sided game: Play a small-sided game on each half of your pitch. Place a mini-goal, or use cones to create goals, on each side. This gives players the chance to practise turning and dribbling with the ball.
Double trouble: Use half the pitch. Have a keeper and defender (plus an extra player for rotation) at one end and attacking pairs opposite. Attackers try to score. When play resets, the next pair have a go. If the defender wins the ball, they dribble through cones at the side or halfway to score.
Small-sided game: Finish the session with a small-sided game using the whole pitch and a goal at each end. This gives players more space and opportunity to practise what they’ve been learning.

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Coaching points

Ask players to think about how they can beat a defender using their movement or a teammate.
Set up a ‘tactics zone’ for double trouble. Use this space to speak to individual players about what you’ve seen and get them thinking about what they can do better next time.
Encourage players to use their body to protect the ball by being in between the opponent and the ball.
Encourage players to use their speed to move with the ball into space.
When near a defender, get players to think about taking smaller touches and keeping the ball close to them. When there’s space, encourage players to take bigger touches to drive into the space.

On the pitch: week two

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch. You can also get more information about the second week of the programme here.

Week three: turning to play forward

Spiderweb tig: Set up a 30x30-yard area. Choose two players to be taggers and give each a bib (spiderweb). To tag someone, they throw their spiderweb at them. If it connects with a player, the tagger gets a point. The others need to dodge the spiderwebs. The tagger with the most points wins.
Twist and turn: Use the same space and split your group into two teams. Have one start on the outside of the area and one on the inside. Give the outside players a ball each. They pass to a player in the middle without a ball. They turn and move before passing to another outside player.
Twist and turn: Progress this practice by using cones to create different sized gates inside the area. Players on the inside need to control the ball, turn and dribble through a gate before passing the ball to a player on the outside.
End zone game: Place an end zone at each end of your pitch. Have a target player in each end zone. Teams work together to get the ball to their target player to score a point. Play restarts with the other team who try to work the ball to their own target player.
Small-sided game: Finish the session with a small-sided game using the whole pitch and a goal at each end. This gives players the opportunity to put their moving with the ball and turning skills into practice.

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Coaching points

Ask players to think about how they can beat a defender using their movement or a teammate.
When near a defender, get players to think about taking smaller touches and keeping the ball close to them. When there’s space, encourage players to take bigger touches to drive into the space.
Before receiving, encourage your players to adopt an open body shape to allow them to turn and play forward if they have space.
Ask players to think about how they can use clever, disguised movements to lose a defender. They might move away from the ball to create space for them to drop into, or move towards the ball to create space in behind for them to spin into.

On the pitch: week three

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch. You can also get more information about the third week of the programme here.

Week four: scanning and turning

Spiderweb tig: Set up a 40x35-yard area. Give everyone a ball and a bib (a spiderweb). To tag someone, players throw their spiderweb at another player’s ball. If it connects, the tagger gets a point. They do this while trying to dodge other spiderwebs. The tagger with the most points wins.
Small-sided game: Use the same area and add goals at each end. Split the area into three channels and make the middle one smaller to help players with pitch geography and to encourage them to receive and turn in tight areas. To score, the ball has to have travelled in at least two of the channels.
Criss-cross: Use half of the previous area for this activity. Split players into three teams. Give each team a ball. Players keep moving and passing within the area in this unopposed with interference practice. Players need to complete a different turn each time they receive the ball.
Small-sided game: Finish the session by returning to a small-sided game. This is an opportunity to notice if the players can put their learning into practice and have improved their ability to move with the ball and turn.

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Coaching points

Remind players to scan before, during, and after receiving the ball, so they know where and when to move and turn.
Give players some examples of turns they could use to escape interference, such as a ‘Cruyff’ turn, outside hook, or drag-back. Encourage them to use different types of turns when they’re on the ball.
Coordination skills are key in the arrival activity. Ask players to think about their turns as they’re throwing or retrieving their bibs.
Ensure players understand the importance of keeping the ball close to their body when they receive and turn. A tight turning circle helps when facing opposition or interference.

On the pitch: week four

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch. You can also get more information about the fourth week of the programme here.

Week five: moving with deception

Great escape: Set up a 35x35-yard area. Put four different sized gates around the edge of the area and mark out a funnel using cones to act as an entrance point. Two players act as guards and start inside the area. The rest have a ball each and start in the funnel.
Great escape: Players with a ball must dribble into the area and try to escape through a gate for a point. The guards get a point for winning the ball off a player. Keep rotating guards after a few minutes to give everyone a chance of playing both roles.
Add a 6x6-yard square to each corner of the pitch. Put players in pairs and give them a ball, except for two defending pairs. The pairs with a ball combine with their teammate to get the ball into one of the squares. Then they do the same until they have reached all four squares.
Connect four: The defending pairs try to stop the others from getting to all four squares, but they can’t enter the squares themselves. If a defending pair win the ball, they become an attacking pair and try to connect all four squares. The pair who have lost the ball, try to win a ball back.
End zones: Create six-yard end zones on your full pitch. Split players into three teams. Two teams compete in the area to pass to their target player in an end zone to score. The passer then becomes the new target player. The third team are bounce players around the area. Rotate teams frequently.
Small-sided game: Finish the session by going into a game. Have three teams with one acting as support players around the outside for the team on the ball. This is an opportunity to notice if players can put their learning into practice and have improved their ability to move with the ball and turn.

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Coaching points

Remind players to scan before, during, and after receiving the ball, so they know where and when to move and turn.
Support players to understand how a change in direction and speed can help them beat defenders and progress forward.
Encourage players to use feints and body movement to disguise their intentions when moving with the ball.
Ask players to think about when they can move forward with the ball, or when they may have to turn and use support players to play away from pressure.

On the pitch: week five

Looking for more detail? Check out this video to see what it can look like on the pitch.

Week six: positioning to turn

Gate guards: Set up multiple gates across your pitch and vary the size of them. Have some players as gate guards and the rest as attackers. Give each attacker a ball. They aim to dribble through gates for a point. Guards can’t tackle but can tag attackers inside a gate to reset their score to zero.
Small-sided game: Use the full area and put a goal at each end. Then let your players take part in a small-sided game. Give players freedom to express themselves. Observe to make sure they have the right challenge and give praise when they showcase good moving with the ball and turning skills.
Connect four: Add a 6x6-yard square to each corner of your pitch for connect four. Keep your players in two teams. Players work with teammates to pass or dribble into a square for a point. When they do that, they then work it into a different square. Players are unopposed when in a square.
Small-sided game: Finish the session by going back into a small-sided game. Use the same area as the last practice, leaving the corner squares in to represent wide areas to cross or pass from. Challenge players to think about how they can get into those areas and how they can assist their teammates.

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Coaching points

Remind players to scan before, during, and after receiving the ball to recognise and exploit the space around them and notice where their teammates are.
Ensure your players think about their body shape when they’re receiving the ball. An open body shape encourages moving forwards with the ball to attack opponents.
Ask your players to try and anticipate the turns and movements of their teammates. This allows them to position themselves in between the defender when the ball eventually makes its way towards them.