Building out from the back in 7-a-side and 8-a-side football: shape, drills and what to do when the opponent presses
Building out from the back in 7-a-side (fútbol 7, F7) and 8-a-side (fútbol 8, F8) is coached with a starting shape and two cues the children can change.
- F7: 1-3-2-1, with keeper, three defenders, two midfielders and one striker.
- F8: 1-3-3-1, with a third midfielder who makes a triangle.
- Age: from alevín (ages 10-11); before that, principles only.
- Goal kick: opponents outside the area and no offside when receiving it.
- Drills: sets of 2-4 minutes, numerical superiority first.
From what age it makes sense to structure the build-up
This starting shape is for alevín, in F7 or F8 (alevín). In prebenjamín, avoid structured build-ups; the RFFM replaces goal kicks with a keeper volley throw. In benjamín (ages 8-9), focus on looking before restarting and offering support.
For alevín, work on width, depth and different heights: supporting players should not align relative to the ball. The keeper looks before playing and chooses a lane. Introduce pressing through conditioned games, without memorised patterns. Systems, zonal pressing, block shifts and three-adjustment build-ups wait until infantil. Start with these cues and exercises 1 and 2.
Do not transplant a senior national team build-up (Luis de la Fuente tactics) into F7 or F8. See keeper-led alevín tasks and the infantil third man in drills by age, then the next step in coaching infantiles in 11-a-side.
Abad Robles and colleagues (2019) identify the variables we adjust: players, space, rules, coach input, goalkeepers, and work/rest times.
Building out in 7-a-side: the 1-3-2-1 as a starting shape
1-3-2-1: keeper, three defenders, two midfielders and a striker. Also called 3-2-1, excluding the keeper. This is coaching terminology; regulations do not prescribe formations.
Two centre-backs and a third defender opening towards the ball form the back three. Midfielders take different heights, while the striker occupies the opposing centre-backs high up. Aim to keep two of three lanes available: left, central and right.
The keeper is the first passer (post on goalkeepers without a specialist): open up, look up and find the free teammate with the best angle. If both lanes are blocked, play long to the striker. Correct kicking without looking, not choosing a long pass.
Two errors: a centre-back too close to the keeper and midfielders level with defenders. Move the centre-back away until the keeper can see them without turning their head; stagger midfielders, one ahead of the ball and one behind.
1-2-3-1 strengthens midfield but reduces cover: it suits three strong midfielders and two reliable defenders. For a new F7 group, 1-3-2-1 offers another nearby keeper outlet. Choose for your squad.
Building out in 8-a-side: the 1-3-3-1 and the third midfielder
FFCV F8 uses eight players including the keeper. 1-3-3-1 adds a midfielder to 1-3-2-1, forming a triangle: a deeper pivot and two advanced midfielders, or the reverse. This creates a central passing option.
The pivot decides: if the passing lane is blocked, drop between centre-backs to turn three defenders into four; if free, step up. Practise with exercises 4 and 5.
Avoid three aligned midfielders: one opponent can close their passing lanes. Ask the middle player to stand slightly ahead of or behind the other two.
Use it as an adaptable starting shape, as in F7.
Build-up drills in 7-a-side
The Abad Robles review suggests one or two extra attackers favour passing and possession, which decline as numbers even out. With inexperienced players, start with more space and no one- or two-touch limit. Progress from superiority to equal numbers.
| Exercise | Players | Space | Time | Trains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Exit rondo | 4 + keeper against 2 | 12 x 12 m with two gates | 4 sets of 2 min, rotating | Support, body shape, keeper as passer |
| 2. The keeper is a player too | 3 + keeper against 2 | 20 x 25 m, 3 m goal area marked | 4 rounds of 3 min (6 attempts) | When to open up and the first pass |
| 3. Gate with a prize | Keeper + 6 against 3 | 30 x 40 m, F7 goal | 3 rounds of 4 min | Using the interior midfielders |
Exercise 1: exit rondo · 8 minutes. The four link six passes and exit through a gate; the two defenders exit through the other after winning possession. Count keeper involvement. Use two defenders for motivating without boredom.
Progression: three touches or free play; shrink the space after two sets. If easy, use 5v2 in 15x15 m. Correct: support too close to the ball; create passing distance and an angle.
Exercise 2: the keeper is a player too.
- Setup: restart from the goal area (the 3 m line in FCF). Two pressers wait 8 m away until the ball moves. Place two 4 m gates 25 m from goal.
- Scoring: cross a gate under control for 1 point; win possession and dribble to the goal-area line for 2.
- Correct: kicking without looking and a centre-back too close to the keeper.
- Progress: unopposed (five passes and a gate) → two pressers → a supporting midfielder (4 + keeper against 2) → 3 m gates.
Exercise 3: gate with a prize.
- Setup: a full 1-3-2-1 against three opponents defending a line 30 m from goal. The striker waits in the 5 m before it. After winning possession, opponents attack the F7 goal.
- Scoring: cross the line with a pass to the striker after both midfielders touch the ball for 2; cross another way for 1; a direct long keeper kick scores 0.
- Correct: midfielders level with centre-backs; ask them to receive between lines at different heights.
- Progress: keeper + 6 against 4 → 7v7.
Build-up drills in 8-a-side
Adapt the opening rondo to 5 or 6 players + keeper against 2 in 15x15 m. The next drills work on the triangle created by the extra midfielder.
| Exercise | Players | Space | Time | Trains |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. Central triangle | Keeper + 3 defenders + 3 midfielders against 3 | 35 m wide x 30 m deep, three lanes of 11-12 m | 4 sets of 5 build-ups (about 3 min each) | Switching the point of attack |
| 5. Pivot drops or not | Keeper + 7 against 5 | 40 x 35 m | 4 sets of 5 build-ups (about 3 min each) | Reading the press |
Exercise 4: central triangle.
- Rules: reach the middle-third line with a reception between lines. Three pressers cover the ball lane and an adjacent lane, leaving the third free. Do not use the same lane on consecutive build-ups.
- Correct: three aligned midfielders and a pivot receiving with their back to goal.
- Progress: four pressers → 8v8. Score by crossing halfway with a pass to a free player.
Exercise 5: pivot drops or stays.
- Rules: five opponents wait in their half. Without warning, the coach sends 2 or 4 to press each restart. The team decides whether to keep the pivot ahead or drop them. Count clean build-ups to the finish line.
- Correct: always or never dropping without reading the press.
- Progress: 8v8; crossing halfway with a pass scores 2, with a carry scores 1.
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Opposition pressing on the build-up: three levels and when to go long
Introduce pressing in 7v7 in 35x45 m or 8v8 in 40x50 m. Change level every 4 minutes, according to what the group solves.
- Level 1: the opponents do not cross their halfway line while the team builds out.
- Level 2: only one opponent can cross the halfway line.
- Level 3: free pressing.
Scoring: retain possession and build out in three passes or fewer for 1 point; an uncontrolled long kick scores 0. At level 3, a controlled long pass also scores: players must learn when to choose it.
Read the press: when one opponent closes the ball, the third player opens a passing lane; against paired pressure, a long pass to the striker is valid. Correct passing without looking.
This is a conditioned game, not zonal pressing or a memorised team scheme; those wait until infantil.
Goal kick and offside: what each rulebook says
The goal kick has different rules depending on the federation, and it pays to know them before you set up the drills on the pitch. The three rulebooks agree on three things: opponents wait outside the penalty area until the ball moves, the kick is taken with the foot (except the volley throw in RFFM prebenjamín), and there is no offside if you receive directly from it.
| Rulebook | Where it is taken | Offside |
|---|---|---|
| IFAB, Laws 16 and 11 (basis of 11-a-side and of the FFCV 8-a-side game) | From anywhere inside the goal area. Ball in play once it is kicked and clearly moves | No offside when receiving directly from a goal kick |
| RFFM, F7 2026/27 | From anywhere inside the goal area. In prebenjamín (under-8s) the goal kick is removed and the keeper restarts with a volley throw | 13 m zone from the goal line. It does not exist in prebenjamín or when receiving from a goal kick |
| FFCV, F8 | Under IFAB rules: the F8 rulebook refers to them, with the quirks of the format | 12 m zone of the opposing team |
| FCF, F7 | A player of the defending team plays it with the foot from an imaginary line 3 m from the goal line | 12 m zone. No offside when receiving directly from a goal restart |
In the RFFM and under IFAB rules (the basis of the FFCV 8-a-side game) the keeper can take the kick from anywhere inside the goal area, so he can open up to one side and leave the centre-back on the other side free. In the FCF the ball leaves from a line 3 m from the goal line: mark it with cones in training so Saturday is not the first time.
After the kick, offside counts again inside the 12 or 13 m zone. A striker waiting level with the rival defence can be in an illegal position if he receives after a second pass; if he receives directly from the kick, he cannot. The RFFM rules cover F7 and F5; for F8 we use the FFCV rulebook, because most of Spain plays alevín in F8 (we explain it in youth football rules by category and in 7-a-side vs 8-a-side vs 11-a-side).
Rulebooks are renewed every season (the RFFM one is 2026/27; the FCF and FFCV ones are those published on their websites in October 2026) and pitch sizes differ: the RFFM sets 40-60 x 30-40 m for F7 and the FFCV F8 game, 50-65 x 30-45 m. That is why the drill measurements in this post are our own and approximate, not attributed to any federation. If you play in another federation, open its rulebook before you prepare the rule.
What to correct, when, and how to fit it into the week
- In the moment: one thing only and without stopping play, almost always where the keeper is before he kicks.
- At half-time: one image with cones showing where the centre-back was and where he should have been.
- On Monday: a build-up situation from the match turned into a task, as in the Monday session.
One rules detail worth practising is the defender's back-pass with the foot to the keeper, who cannot pick it up with his hands. IFAB Law 12 punishes it with an indirect free kick when the ball has been deliberately kicked by a team-mate, and the RFFM 7-a-side rules say the same. Practise the keeper playing it with his foot, even if it goes wrong the first few times.
Wednesday: 20 minutes, eight on the rondo and twelve on an opposed drill, following the standard alevín session. Distribute blocks using planning the season. Friday: five minutes recalling restarts and positioning, with nothing new.
Saturday: 20 minutes of conditioned play. Restart every own goal kick short; goals count only after three passes from the keeper. Remove the rule, then measure clean build-ups per 10 goal kicks: retaining possession until halfway.
In the same ten, record whether they beat the press without a long kick in 5-7 seconds, the criterion in our alevín guide. Compare the start and end of the term.
Further reading: Rui Pacheco on F7 and Casamichana and colleagues on small-sided games, in the books for coaches.
About the author
Content written by RutaMister from hands-on experience, editorial review and a teaching focus for youth football coaches.
Frequently asked questions
How is the goal kick taken in 7-a-side and 8-a-side football?
With the foot from anywhere inside the goal area under IFAB and RFFM rules; the ball is in play once it is kicked and moves. In the FCF it is taken from a line 3 m from the goal line. In RFFM prebenjamín the keeper's volley throw replaces it. Opponents wait outside the area.
Is there offside on the build-up?
Not if the player receives directly from the goal kick, according to the IFAB, the RFFM and the FCF. After that it does count inside the 12 m zone in the FFCV and FCF, and the 13 m zone in the RFFM. In RFFM prebenjamín there is no offside at all.
Which system is best for playing out in 7-a-side, the 3-2-1 or another?
The competition rulebooks do not fix any system. As a starting shape we use the 1-3-2-1 (keeper, three defenders, two midfielders and a striker), which leaves team-mates close to the keeper. The 1-2-3-1 suits a group with three good midfielders. The squad decides.
From what age should you coach the build-up in youth football?
A starting shape with two cues makes sense from alevín. In benjamín loose principles fit, and in prebenjamín the RFFM removes the goal kick. Zonal pressing and build-ups with preset adjustments are left for infantil, according to our category guides.
Can the keeper pick up a back-pass from a team-mate with his hands?
No, not if a team-mate has deliberately kicked it to him: IFAB Law 12 punishes it with an indirect free kick, and the RFFM 7-a-side rules say the same. That is why it pays to train the keeper to play that back-pass with his foot, even if it goes wrong at first.
Sources
- IFAB, Law 16: the goal kick
- IFAB, Law 11: offside
- IFAB, Law 12: fouls and misconduct
- RFFM, Competition Rules for 7-a-side and 5-a-side Football, 2026/27 season
- FFCV, Laws of the Game for 8-a-side Football
- FCF, Laws of the Game for 7-a-side Football
- Abad Robles et al. (2019), systematic review of small-sided games, RICCAFD 8(1)