The Sessions

Course: Use The 360TFT Game Model Section: The Curriculum

TLDR

A great session is more than cones and drills. It’s a learning experience. The sessions aren’t standalone but connected to a developmental model that progresses with the player. Each session builds on the one before it, each 16-week block introduces or revisits essential topics, and each session aligns to the Moment, Slice, Situation framework.

Every session is guided by this three-part lens: Moment (where are we in the game - attacking, defending, transitioning), Slice (what part of the pitch - defensive third, middle third, final third), and Situation (what’s happening - 1v1, 2v1 overload, playing with back to goal). This helps you frame why you’re coaching something, where it applies, and when it should be used.

The sessions come with clear focus but aren’t a script, they’re a toolkit. I encourage coaches to adapt to player numbers, modify constraints, and dial complexity up or down based on understanding. The goal isn’t to make the session look ‘perfect’, it’s to create conditions where learning is real, game-like, and repeated.

Repetition isn’t boring; it’s where learning lives. When players return to familiar structures, they see the game quicker, act with more confidence, and build stronger mental models. The session structure remains consistent but intent, intensity, and complexity evolve from Master The Ball (0-11 years) through to Master The Performance (17-21 years). Your job isn’t to run the session; it’s to create conditions for players to learn the game and love the game.

The Sessions

A great session is more than cones and drills. It’s a learning experience.

This section explains how to get the most out of the sessions in this course. While we provide the structure, the coaching still needs your voice, your eye, and your decision-making.

This isn’t a copy-paste model. It’s a flexible framework designed to ensure every session connects to the bigger picture and to what matters most: learning.

What Makes These Sessions Different

The sessions aren’t standalone. They’re not just warm-up, drill, game, go home. They’re connected to a developmental model that progresses with the player:

• Each session builds on the one before it
• Each 16-week block introduces or revisits essential topics
• Each session aligns to the Moment, Slice, Situation framework

This means players aren’t just ‘busy’, they’re learning how to make better decisions in context.

Our Framework: Moment – Slice – Situation

Every session is guided by a three-part lens:

1. Moment: Where are we in the game? Are we attacking? Defending? Transitioning?

Examples:

• Building the Attack
• Defending in the Final Third
• Creating the Attack
• Chasing the Game

2. Slice: What part of the pitch are we in?

Examples:

• Defensive Third
• Middle Third
• Final Third

3. Situation: What’s happening? Are we underloaded? In a 1v1?

Examples:

• Opponent face-to-face
• 2v1 attacking overload
• Recovery run from behind
• Playing with back to goal

This model helps you frame why you’re coaching something, where it applies, and when it should be used. It also helps players recognise these moments as they happen, which is how real learning sticks.

Use the Sessions with Flexibility But Purpose

Each session plan comes with a clear focus. But it’s not a script, it’s a toolkit.

Coaches are encouraged to:

• Adapt to the number of players you have
• Modify constraints (space, time, overloads)
• Dial up or down complexity based on player understanding
• Change the environment while staying on the same learning focus

The goal isn’t to make the session look ‘perfect’, it’s to create conditions where the learning is real, game-like, and repeated.

Repetition Isn’t Boring, It’s Where Learning Lives

We don’t move on from a practice just because players start to get it, we lean into it.

When a session focuses on a key action or concept, repeating it isn’t wasted time, it’s targeted investment.

Each time players return to a familiar structure, they:

• See the game quicker
• Act with more confidence
• Build stronger mental models

What looks like repetition is actually refinement. Great players recognise patterns and respond earlier than others. That intelligence comes from deliberate, focused, repeated exposure to key football problems.

How This Applies at Different Age Groups

While the session structure remains consistent across the course, the intent, intensity, and complexity evolve as players grow.

Master The Ball (0–11 Years Old)

Focus:

• Ball contact, rhythm, and confidence
• Using both feet, staying on the ball, exploring freely

Environment:

• Short bursts of activity
• High ball engagement
• Minimal standing around

Sessions look like:

• Obstacle courses
• Dribbling races
• Tag games with a technical focus

Coach role:

• Encourage exploration
• Repeat key actions
• Use simple language
• Celebrate effort and discovery

Don’t expect decision-making fluency, focus on building fluency with the ball and body.

Master The Opponent (7–12 Years Old)

Focus:

• 1v1s, small group play, decision-making under pressure
• Combining technical skill with tactical awareness

Environment:

• Ball mastery in context
• Small-sided games
• Challenges, constraints, and lots of touches

Sessions look like:

• Game-based learning
• Decision-driven practices
• Technical repetition with opponents involved

Coach role:

• Start shaping decisions
• Model outcomes
• Ask questions to prompt reflection
• Revisit key scenarios often

Expect mistakes, that’s part of learning how to outplay opponents.

Master The Game (11–18 Years Old)

Focus:

• Tactical understanding and team concepts
• Adapting technique within game situations

Environment:

• Scenario-based
• More structured roles
• Deeper challenge through constraints

Sessions look like:

• Functional SSGs
• Rotating positional tasks
• Tactical walkthroughs with game tempo

Coach role:

• Tie every practice back to game moments
• Ask for why, not just what
• Keep clarity, one or two ideas per session

This is where players start thinking like players, not just participants.

Master The Position (15–21 Years Old)

Focus:

• Individual responsibilities in and out of possession
• Position-specific actions and understanding

Environment:

• Match-realistic zones and transitions
• Constraints by position, shape, and roles

Sessions look like:

• Functional training
• Repetitions in context
• Phase-of-play work

Coach role:

• Clarify expectations for each role
• Make decisions visual and repeatable
• Push consistency under pressure

The goal here is tactical maturity, not technical basics.

Master The Performance (17–21 Years Old)

Focus:

• Match demands, psychological readiness, game management

Environment:

• High-stakes simulation
• Scenario-led sessions
• Peer feedback and reflection

Sessions look like:

• Match-prep walkthroughs
• In-game scenario problem solving
• Live coaching in real context

Coach role:

• Step back, observe learning
• Use fewer words, more questions
• Let players struggle and reflect

Performance is about making the right choices when it matters most.

Final Thought

Every session is a chance to build a thread. That thread connects learning from week to week and helps players grow into confident decision-makers on the pitch.

Your job isn’t to run the session.

It’s to create the conditions for players to learn the game and love the game.

With this in mind, here are some recommended pitch sizes per age group and exercises to help them have enough space to play and explore.

This content is part of the 360TFT Football Coaching Academy - Use The 360TFT Game Model