BM-11 · Skill practice
Running with the ball
This Ball Mastery Practice is focused on individual players dribbling past defenders and recognising when to burst into space with the ball
Ball mastery · U12 and younger
Ball mastery drills for U12s. One ball each. Lots of touches.
Ball mastery practices for players aged 11 and under, covering close control, turns, dribbling and first touch. Most give every player a ball, so the whole group is working at once. Each outline below gives the setup and key coaching points, with the full video in Club.
Touchtight Club has 60 U12 ball mastery practices (as of October 2026). Below: 4 practice outlines.
Practice outlines
U12 ball mastery practices
4 of 4 shown
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.
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.
WU-22 · Warm-up
Dribbling and Finishing Relay!
This fun warm up takes place in a 15 by 20-yard area and is a relay race focusing on players dribbling and finishing.
These are 4 of the 60 U12 ball mastery practices in Club. Start a free trial to see them all ↗
Coaching it
How to get more from these practices.
Why ball mastery first
Players who are comfortable on the ball have more time to look up, so the passing, dribbling and decision-making work that comes later is easier to coach. Short, frequent ball mastery blocks build that comfort faster than one long technical session a month.
Keep it a game
Younger players stay engaged when there is a score, a race or a story. Use the challenge in each practice, then add a time limit, a points target or a defender as the group gets better.
Both feet, every turn
Ask for both feet and different surfaces of the foot early. A simple rule, such as "every second turn uses your weaker foot", adds the challenge without slowing the practice down.
Questions
What coaches ask.
- What is ball mastery in football?
- Ball mastery is a player’s control of the ball with every surface of both feet: close control, turns, changes of direction and first touch. It is usually coached with a ball per player so everyone gets a high number of touches.
- How long should a ball mastery practice last for U12s?
- Each outline shows how long the practice is tagged for in Club. Many coaches use 10–15 minutes of ball mastery as a warm-up or technical block, then move into a game.
- Are these practices free?
- The practice outlines on this page are free to read. The full coaching videos are in the Touchtight Club library, which you can try free for 14 days (card required).