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How Long Should Practice Last?

An important aspect of age-appropriate coaching is the length of time that players should practice. There are no hard and fast rules, but coaches should not place unreasonable demands on players' time, nor practice beyond the maximum recommended limit for a given age bracket. Coaches must recognise that there is always more to teach than either the time available or the attention span of the players, and that players have many demands on their time. Putting the kids first means practice times which match their development level and and committment, which may well be less than that of the coach.

The following table gives recommended and maximum practice lengths for each AYSO age bracket. The recommendations are for the length of time actually spent practicing, and do not include, for example, time spent waiting for all the team to arrive. These are regional recommendations derived from respected coaching manuals and personal experience of the region coaching staff.
 
 
Age bracket Recommended length Maximum length
U8/U7 45-60 minutes 60 minutes
U10/U9 60 minutes 60 minutes
U12 60 minutes 75 minutes
U14 75-90 minutes 90 minutes
U16 75-90 minutes 90 minutes
U19 75-90 minutes 90 minutes


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