WU-54 · Technical practice
Technical Combination Play
Get your players moving and connecting early with this sharp technical warm up focused on passing, movement, and combination play.
U16 teams
U16 football and soccer drills. Game detail, units and intensity.
Free practice outlines for U16 teams, covering positional detail, pressing, build-up play and game-realistic phases. Each one gives the setup, player numbers, area and key coaching points, from the 690 practices Touchtight Club tags for this age group.
Touchtight Club has 690 practices for this page (as of October 2026). Below: 17 with a free full video and 47 practice outlines.
AgeU16
Match format
How U16 football is played.
The official U16 format from each governing body. Pick practices sized for the game your players play.
England (The FA) · 2026/27
- Match format
- 11v11
- Pitch size
- 91 x 55 m (recommended)
- Ball size
- Size 5
- Goal size
- 24 x 8 ft
- Match length
- 2 x 40 min
USA (U.S. Soccer)
- Match format
- 11v11
Each figure links to the governing body's own page. Age groups are counted differently in each country (in England, age on 31 August), and leagues can vary, so check your league's rules.
Practices
U16 drills and practices
64 of 64 shown
35-P1 · Skill practice
Compactness and Transfer Game
Improve your team’s defensive compactness and collective movement with this competitive possession-based practice.
86-P10 · Phase of play
Attack Before the Defence Sets (4231)
Exploit the moments before the opposition can organise with this game-realistic attacking practice.
48-P11 · Medium-sided game
Possession and Transition to Attack
Develop your team’s ability to control possession and attack with purpose in this dynamic, game-based practice.
93-P12 · Lead-in to 11 v 11
Release the Wing-back to Attack (3421)
Develop your team’s attacking understanding within a 3421 with this game-realistic practice.
11-P13 · Advanced lead-in to 11 v 11
Compress the Midfield to Win Possession
This advanced lead practice develops the midfield three’s ability to regain possession centrally in a 433.
51-P13 · Advanced lead-in to 11 v 11
Possession Rondos (433)
This advanced lead practice is designed to enhance your team's ability to maintain possession in a 4-3-3 formation.
88-P14 · 11 v 11
Press to Win Possession (11 v 11)
Develop your team’s ability to press aggressively and win the ball in dangerous areas with this full-pitch 11v11 game.
70-P2 · Rondo
Press and Steal Rondo
Increase the intensity of your session with this competitive rondo!
70-P3 · Small-sided game
3 v 3 Defend and Attack Game (SSG)
Increase the tempo of your sessions with this high-energy game that sharpens pressing, reactions, and attacking transitions.
80-P4 · Technical practice
Penetrating Passes Between the Lines
Develop your team’s ability to break lines with purpose in this technical attacking practice focused on penetrating passes and intelligent.
68-P5 · Skill practice
Exploit the Overload to Finish
This attacking practice develops a team’s ability to recognise and exploit overloads to create clear finishing opportunities.
69-P6 · Small-sided game
Midfield Compactness to Win Possession
Develop your team’s midfield organisation and defensive understanding with this game-realistic compactness practice.
97-P7 · Pattern of play
How to Play Out From the Back (4231)
This engaging pattern of play develops both technical precision and tactical awareness for effective build-up play in a 4231 formation.
106-P7 · Pattern of play
Inverted FB and No.10 Movement
Develop intelligent attacking rotations between the inverted full-back and No.10 with these game-realistic patterns of play!
100-P8 · Wave of play
Exploit the Overload to Finish
Create fast, attacking football with this high-tempo wave practice designed to develop finishing, decision-making and overloads.
95-P9 · Functional practice
Possession to Finish Rondo
Combine possession, penetration, and finishing in this rondo that challenges players to recognise key moments to play forward and attack.
68-P8 · Wave of play
1 v 1 Attacking & Defending Challenge
This practice is built to improve players’ 1 v 1 defending skills, with a strong focus on technique, positioning, and decision-making.
1TO1-P26 · Technical practice
1st Touch and Passing
Take your players’ first touch, scanning, and passing accuracy to the next level with this focused technical practice.
59-P3 · Rondo
2 v 2 + 2 Rondo
This rondo practice challenges players to keep possession under pressure, work through compact defences, and react instantly in transition.
66-P6 · Small-sided game
3rd Man Breakout Runs-SSG
Unlock the attacking potential of your team with this SSG, designed to create and exploit space behind defensive lines through 3rd man runs.
66-P8 · Wave of play
3rd Man Run Attacking Play
Unlock attacking creativity with this third-man run wave practice, designed to develop technical patterns that break defensive lines.
61-P11 · Opposed practice
4 v 4 + 3 Possession Transfer Rondo
This practice reinforces key principles of the 433 formation, focusing on controlled build-up play and quick transitions.
31-P10 · Phase of play
Beat The Press to Attack (433)
This phase of play practice focuses on breaking through a press with structured build-up play and quick combinations to finish.
97-P9 · Functional practice
Beat the Press to Play Out (4231)
Master the art of building from the back with this functional practice, designed to refine your team's ability to navigate a high press.
26-P2 · Rondo
Beat the Press to Play Out Rondo (Goalkeeper)
This goalkeeper rondo focuses on developing composure, decision-making, and effective distribution under pressure during the build-up phase.
54-P9 · Functional practice
Break Lines to Attack
This 4 v 4 + 3 possession rondo sharpens build-up play, focusing on a back 3 and midfield 3 while incorporating floaters for fluid movement.
97-P6 · Small-sided game
Build from the Back Game (352)
This small-sided game challenges players to break down defensive pressure and build attacks from the back effectively in a 352.
85-P10 · Phase of play
Build Up From The Back (4231)
This practice develops Phase 1 build up play, specifically focusing on movements and patterns when building from the back in a 4231 setup.
92-P10 · Phase of play
Building from the Back Under Pressure
Master effective build-up play under pressure in this engaging 4231 focused phase of play practice.
52-P5 · Skill practice
Centre Back's Playing Out From the Back
This practice is designed to develop CB's who can confidently step into midfield and help break the first line of opposition pressure.
86-P12 · Wave of play
Clinical Finishing Game
This competitive practice sharpens combinations and finishing under pressure - great for attacking players!
59-P2 · Rondo
Defending as a Pair
Develop your players’ defensive awareness and coordination with this dynamic rondo.
1TO1-P22 · Individual practice
Developing the Switch of Play-CM
This 1 to 1 CM practice helps players improve body shape, scanning, and execution to deliver consistent, game-realistic switches.
33-P1 · Technical practice
Diamond Finishing Combinations: Technical
This practice is focused on embedding attacking principles in a 4-4-2 Diamond in a technical finishing practice.
101-P6 · Physical practice
Dribbling Relay Race
This quick fire team relay race is great to activate players and get the team socially engaged for any session.
WU-46 · Warm-up
Dribbling Relay Race Activation
This energetic warm-up challenges players to dribble, move quickly, and make sharp decisions under pressure.
46-P6 · Small-sided game
Final Third Game-The City Way
This small-sided game has a 5 v 4 outfield attacking overload and is focused on penetrating passes in the final 3rd, linked to The City Way
100-P2 · Skill practice
Finishing and Recovery Runs
Take your players’ first touch, speed, and decision-making to the next level with this dynamic 1v1 practice.
77-P3 · Rondo
Heads Up Rondo
This engaging 3-team practice challenges players to scan and identify teammates before receiving, using visual cues on players heads.
10-P10 · Rondo
High Press Rondos
This practice takes place in a 30 by 45 -yard area and focuses on developing the high press.
100-P3 · Technical practice
Improve Striker Movement & Finishing 1 v 1
This finishing practice breaks down the key movements that help attackers lose defenders, receive on the half turn, and attack goal with confidence.
97-P3 · Rondo
Keep the Ball to Score Rondo
This rondo practice enhances passing accuracy, sharpens decision-making, and improves composure under pressure in tight spaces!
36-P13 · Advanced lead-in to 11 v 11
Maintaining Possession in the Midfield
This practice takes place in an octagon shaped playing area and develops midfielders combination play and ability to maintain possession.
82-P1 · Technical practice
Movement in Behind to Finish
This practice takes place in a 40 by 45-yard area and focuses on developing passing combinations to create opportunities to finish.
79-P6 · Small-sided game
Movement in Behind to Finish on One Touch! (SSG)
This small sided game takes place in a 25 by 40-yard area and focuses on timing of forward runs and playing well weighted through balls.
100-P4 · Technical practice
One Touch Passing Combinations
Increase the speed and precision of your team’s passing with this sharp technical practice.
38-P1 · Technical practice
One-Two Combinations: Technical
This activation technical practice incorporates opening the body to play forward and one-two combinations to set and spin.
WU-34 · Warm-up
Pass and Press Activation
This practice takes place in a small 10 by 10-yard area and focuses on activating players passing and pressing for the upcoming session.
FS-P2 · Small-sided game
Penetrate and Drive into End Zones to Finish
This possession-focused practice sharpens combination play and positional understanding in the 1-3-1 futsal setup!
1TO1-P20 · Individual practice
Playing Out From the Back-CB
This 1 to 1 practice is designed to develop CB's ability to step out from the back and break the first line of pressure with confidence.
14-P14 · 11 v 11
Playing Out From The Back in a 4231: 11 v 11
This final practice combines aspects of this theme into an 11 v 11, with the focus on building play from the GK thorough the thirds.
01-P3 · Skill practice
Possession: Attacking Centrally
Develop player's ability to combine and rotate in central areas, penetrating defensive covering lines.
80-P5 · Rondo
Possession to Penetrate
This high-intensity possession rondo challenges players to find and exploit central spaces under pressure.
71-P5 · Rondo
Possession to Penetrate Rondo
This possession-based rondo challenges players to control the game with the ball while identifying the right moments to penetrate.
GK-P17 · Skill practice
Quick Reactions to Make Saves
This dynamic goalkeeper session sharpens quick reactions, recovery speed, and positioning under pressure.
WU-39 · Warm-up
Quick Switches to Get to Safety
Sharpen speed, agility, and decision-making with this fast-paced warm-up game that keeps players engaged from the start.
WU-36 · Warm-up
Scanning and Dribbling
This practice takes place in a 15 by 20-yard area and focuses on developing scanning when receiving and driving with the ball.
WU-33 · Warm-up
Speed, Agility & Finishing
This activation practice takes place in a 25 by 25-yard area and focuses on developing players speed, passing and finishing.
79-P9 · Functional practice
The 9 and 10 Combinations to Finish
This practice puts attackers in two different scenarios, challenging them to combine quickly to exploit the overload and finish.
87-P5 · Rondo
Transitional Rondo
This transitional rondo develops possession quality while demanding instant reactions to turnovers.
61-P2 · Technical practice
Triangle Passing Combinations
This simple technical practice focuses on developing players passing and moving within a triangle setup.
66-P10 · Phase of play
Using the 3rd Man Run to Penetrate
Unlock your team's attacking potential with this phase of play practice, designed to break defensive lines using well-timed third-man runs.
11-P12 · Lead-in to 11 v 11
Win Possession Centrally and Counter
Train your midfielders to regain, scan, and strike fast in this high-intensity transition practice built for game-changing counter-attacks.
These are 64 of the 690 practices in Club for this page. Start a free trial to see them all ↗ · See the U15–U17 age group page
Coaching it
How to get more from these practices.
Train the game picture
Older youth players benefit from practices that look like a moment from a match: a phase of play, a functional practice for a unit, or a pressing trigger.
Coach the details
At this stage small details win games: body shape to receive, the timing of a run, the angle of a press. Each outline names the key coaching points from the video.
Plan the week
Many of these practices are tagged with a training day in Club (for example two days before a match for speed of play), so you can build a week around them.
Questions
What coaches ask.
- What should U16 football training focus on?
- Most practices Touchtight Club tags for U16 teams work on positional detail, pressing, build-up play and game-realistic phases. Use the filters above to find the right number of players and size of area for your group.
- How many players do these U16 drills need?
- Each outline shows the player numbers from its Club tags. Use the Players filter above, or the pages for 1–5, 6–10, 11–16 and 17+ players.
- Are these practices free?
- The practice outlines on this page are free to read, with the setup and key coaching points for each practice. The full coaching videos, progressions and player questions are in the Touchtight Club library, which you can try free for 14 days (card required).