Why this course?
At the initiation stage, young players are building the foundations that will shape how they understand the game for the rest of their development.
But many youth environments still train players through isolated exercises, disconnected content, or sessions that are not clearly adapted to the players’ age and learning needs.
The result is common: players repeat actions, but they do not always understand when, why, or how to use them in the game.
“Do not just train young players to execute actions. Teach them to understand the game.”
At Ekkono, we have spent more than 20 years helping clubs, academies, and federations around the world develop smarter players through a methodology based on perception, decision-making, and game understanding.
This course brings that methodology into the initiation stage, from U6 to U13.
Across 13 live sessions of 90 minutes, plus an introductory Session 0, you will learn how to plan the full initiation stage, design age-appropriate training exercises, and coach the key concepts behind the Basic Fundamentals.
By the end of the course, you will have a clear framework to organize youth development, correct players more effectively on the pitch, and build a game model adapted to their age, level, and learning process.
What will you learn?
- Planning of training content throughout the initiation stage, from U6 to U13
- Training methodology adapted to young players
- How to manage information during training to improve player learning
- Tools to build a game model adapted to players’ age and level
- Key concepts behind the Offensive Basic Fundamentals: support, first touch, pass, dribbling, driving, ball protection, and unmarking movements
- Key concepts behind the Defensive Basic Fundamentals: tracking, marking, and coverage
- Collective concepts such as block perception, block coordination, Offensive Team Fundamentals, and Defensive Team Fundamentals
Specific Methodology for Youth Coaching
The Ekkono Methodology will help you design your own training exercises for each key content in the initiation stage.
Learn how to create the right structure and context for young players to improve their game understanding, decision-making, and execution.
Planning for the Initiation Stage
Learn how to plan, schedule, and prioritize training content based on players’ age, level, number of weekly sessions, needs, and club identity.
This will help you build a clear development pathway from U6 to U13.
Basic Fundamentals: From Content to Coaching Concepts
Obtain a detailed explanation of the most important offensive and defensive contents players must learn during their youth development.
For each of them, you will learn the key concepts players must understand, what the coach should observe, and what to correct on the pitch.
Team Fundamentals and Game Model
Learn how to introduce collective concepts such as block perception, block coordination, Offensive Team Fundamentals, and Defensive Team Fundamentals during the initiation stage.
Adapt your game model and team fundamentals to the players’ age, stage, and level, helping them progress from individual concepts to collective behavior.
This course gives you a clear framework to plan the initiation stage, design better training sessions, and correct players with more precision.
16 hours
