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Playing Out From the Back

By Sherif Madkor · Tactico · Last reviewed 30 October 2026 · How this page was made

The short answer: playing out works when the shape does the thinking before the pass. Split the two centre-backs into the corners of the box, keep the full-backs high on the touchlines, show a No.6 in the middle, and treat the keeper as an extra player.1,2 Against a first line that isn’t pressing hard, that leaves you a free teammate, and the keeper’s job is to find him on the ground. Go long on purpose, when there is space behind them, and not because you’re nervous.

  • 4 beats
  • 4 age groups
  • 3 options to read
  • 3 cue words
CUEBig!
01 · See it

Watch the shape, then choose

A goal kick, or a keeper holding the ball. Watch how Blue’s shape forms as the keeper picks it up, and where Red’s two forwards stand. The width matters: FIFA’s goal-kick review notes that narrow centre-backs draw the strikers in and open the wings, while wide centre-backs open the middle.2 Then freeze. Where is the free player, and does your keeper see him?

Goal kick. Blue’s players are bunched around the keeper, and Red’s two forwards are waiting at the top of the box.

Freeze. What should the keeper do?

Ask your players before you show them. Tap an option to play it out.

  • Pass
  • Our run
  • Their press
  • Cue word
  • Us (Blue) · Them (Red)
Read the sequence as text

Setup

Goal kick. Blue’s players are bunched around the keeper, and Red’s two forwards are waiting at the top of the box.

The shape

  1. The keeper picks the ball up. The centre-backs slide to the corners of the box, the full-backs push up the touchlines, and No.6 drops in between.
  2. Red’s forwards have to choose. One drifts toward No.4, the other shades the middle.

The freeze

Freeze. The keeper has the ball. One forward leans toward No.4 and the other is in the middle. Where does it go?

A. Pass to the free centre-back

Best answer: find the free player. Two forwards can’t cover two centre-backs and the keeper. No.5 has time, and the forward who drifted toward No.4 is now on the wrong side. A firm pass along the ground gives him time to look up.2,1,3

  1. The keeper rolls it to No.5, the free centre-back. Neither forward can get there in time.
  2. No.5 passes up the side to the full-back, who has opened his body to the field.
  3. Both forwards are now behind the ball. Blue has played through the first line on the ground.

B. Play into the 6

Risky: only if the 6 is ready. It only works if No.6 has looked, is side-on, and no forward can reach him as the ball arrives. Lose it there and it is right in front of your own goal.4

  1. The keeper plays into No.6. He has already checked his shoulder and is side-on, so he can take it on the half-turn.
  2. The forward is on him half a step late, and No.6 plays it first time out to No.5. One beat slower and Red has it in front of goal.

C. Kick it long

Avoid: it gives away your extra player. Nothing forced the keeper to kick it. A ball kicked forward into space is roughly a coin flip, and it throws away the extra player you built the shape to get.5,6

  1. The keeper kicks it long to the lone striker. Two of their defenders are waiting for him.
  2. Their centre-back wins it and plays it away. Blue’s whole team is now behind the ball, and the extra player has been thrown away.
02 · Say it

Three words they’ll actually hear

Big, Shoulder and Open are my words for ideas that federations and academies teach in longer language, and the sources are on each card. Pick them, teach them in training, and use only those on the touchline. Hover or tap a card to see when to say it.

CUE 01
“Big!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

Two teammates are within a couple of steps of each other as the keeper picks the ball up. One coach’s line: “If you are standing next to a teammate, you are in the wrong spot.”1 The picture you want is the one in the animation.

CUE 02
“Shoulder!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

The ball is about to be played to a teammate who hasn’t looked. FIFA’s U-10 session from Legia Warsaw puts it as: “Scan and check your shoulder before receiving the ball every time.”4

CUE 03
“Open!”
when to say it
SHOUT IT WHEN

A player is about to receive with his back to the field. England Football’s receiving session is built on opening the body to the pitch before the ball arrives, so he can see the ball and the field together.7

03 · Play it

The constraint ladder

Build a game where playing out is the easiest way to score. Each rung adds one rule. Move up when the group handles a rung without your help, and stay put if they need a reminder every time. Check your league’s rules first.

Rules to check first

  • Formats. US Soccer’s maximum formats are 4v4 for U7–U8, 7v7 for U9–U10, 9v9 for U11–U12 and 11v11 from U13.8 Its 4v4 model has no keeper.9 England runs about a year older: 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13, 11v11 from U14 (from 2026–27).10
  • The build-out line starts at U9, in the 7v7 game. US Soccer draws a line across the field 14 yards in front of each goal. While the keeper has the ball or takes a goal kick, opponents stay behind it until the ball is in play, and the keeper can’t punt or drop-kick.11 Offside starts at U9, and there is none between midfield and the line.11
  • When the ball is in play. Since June 2019 a goal kick is in play when it is “kicked and clearly moves”.12,13 The kicking team can stand anywhere, even inside the box, and the keeper can wait until every opponent is behind the line or release early and accept the consequences.13
  • Where the line goes depends on your league. AYSO draws it halfway between the top of the box and the halfway line.14 That may be the same place as 14 yards on a small field, or it may not, so measure yours. I haven’t found a national build-out line for 9v9, so use one at 9v9 only if your league does, or mark one with cones. Check your league.

7v7 · keepers · build-out line.

  1. RUNG 1

    Line On, No Punting

    Setup. 7v7 with the build-out line marked.

    Rule · Ground pass, roll or throw only.

    Ready when the keeper varies his targets.

  2. RUNG 2

    Corners and Middle

    Setup. Two defenders start wide in the box corners and a midfielder shows in the middle.

    Rule · The first pass cannot go to the striker.

    Ready when the defenders hold their width without being told.

  3. RUNG 3

    One Chaser

    Setup. One opponent may press once the first pass is made.

    Rule · Keep the ball on the ground and get it past the line.

    Ready when one presser no longer causes panic.

04 · Spot it

On match day

What to watch from the touchline, and the three mistakes you’ll see first.

Watch for

  • At the goal kick, are the centre-backs in the box corners? Not stacked next to the keeper, and not standing in the middle of the pitch.1
  • Where does the keeper stand? Not glued to his line, and always offering a clear angle so a teammate can pass back to him.3
  • Do receivers show and check their shoulder before the ball arrives?4
  • After the first pass, does the keeper move to be the return option? FIFA’s review notes the first pass is often played back.2

Mistakes and the fix

The square pass across the boxRhys Desmond says the backward pass should go back, not square across the middle, because the other team will be waiting to steal it.6 Fix: play the backward pass back to the keeper, not square across the box. A switch to the far side is fine once the keeper is set and that side is truly free (the high-press page shows one).
Everyone standing next to the keeperFix: cones in the box corners and by the touchlines, and the cue “Big!”.1
Hoofing it from nerves, with the coach shouting “Kick it!”Fix: agree the go-long trigger beforehand, and clap the attempt even when it fails.1 Spokane Shadow lists the shouts to drop: telling a keeper to punt it, or to get it out of there.5

Touchline rule. Mistakes will happen. England U15 coach Kevin Betsy says to work on solutions with the players and support them before, during and after a mistake, and they grow quickly.16

Run it in TacticoPlaycode Pro pack

Take it to training

Set this pattern up for your own squad tonight:

Everything on this page, ready to print and use at training:

  • Lay out your players on the Tactico board and draw each option, free
  • Animate it move by move and export a video for your players (first one free, then Pro)
  • Build the training session in the session planner and print it (Pro)
  • Share it with your coaches and parents with one link (free account)
  • Touchline cards for every age group (print and laminate)
  • Timed session sheet: warm-up, ladder, game
  • 4-week progression plan
  • Open the pattern in your board and animate it for your squad
  • Export the session with your own roster and numbers
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Questions

Coaches ask

Should U10 play out from the back?

In many US leagues the rules push you there: opponents wait behind the line and punting isn’t allowed.11 Tab Ramos, then US Soccer’s youth technical director, said of the line that “it is now part of the game”.17 Keep it structured rather than random: iCoachFootball’s answer to whether this is too dangerous for U10 is that random passing is, and structured passing isn’t.1

What is the build-out line?

A line across the field that opponents must stay behind while the keeper has the ball or takes a goal kick. They may cross once the ball is in play.11,13 For young players, teach it as a cue: the ball moves, you go. In US Soccer’s description the line is 14 yards from the goal. Leagues place it differently, so measure yours.

When should the keeper go long?

When the space is behind them and a teammate is running at it, not when the keeper is nervous. One coach’s rule: “If they press high, we play long”, and attack the space they left.1 Spokane Shadow says long balls suit older players who can strike the ball that far, and they need a purpose.5 A ball kicked forward into open space is about a coin flip.5,6

What if my keeper can’t pass yet?

Start with throws and rolls. At 7v7 the keeper can’t punt or drop-kick anyway.11 The FA goalkeeping coach Tim Dittmer’s point is that keepers who are never put in that situation never get comfortable making decisions.18

Is it different in England?

England’s formats from 2026–27 are 7v7 at U10–U11, 9v9 at U12–U13 and 11v11 at U14 and up.10 Goal-kick rules for small-sided football are set by the FA and your county or league. I couldn’t confirm a national retreat-line rule for 9v9, so check your league’s handbook.

Keep going

What next

Next playcodeHow to Beat a High PressWhat to do when the other team presses your goal kick, and where the free player is. Free tactics boardDraw it with your own playersSet up this shape on the board, draw the runs, and see it before you take it to training.
Formation guides
About

How this page was made

Written by Sherif Madkor for Tactico from published federation and coaching sources, which are listed below. The rules come from US Soccer’s public pages, the 2019 Law 16 clarification and the Laws of the Game. The diagrams are drawn on the Tactico board. The goal-kick shape, the three options and the practice ladders are my own teaching design, built on the principles in those sources; no federation publishes them as one pattern. Where I couldn’t confirm something, the page says so. Last reviewed 30 October 2026.

Sources

  1. iCoachFootball, “How to teach ‘Building out from the back’ to youth teams” (the author’s credentials are self-described). https://www.icoachfootball.net/building-out-from-the-back-soccer/
  2. FIFA Training Centre, Game Insights, “Building from goal kicks” (2021). https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/game/game-insights/building-from-goal-kicks.php
  3. FIFA Training Centre, Santangelo (FC Zürich), “Goalkeepers’ build-up”. https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/elite-sessions/goalkeeper/goalkeepersbuildup.php
  4. FIFA Training Centre, Legia Warsaw U-10, “The decision-makers of tomorrow”. https://www.fifatrainingcentre.com/en/practice/grassroots/global-grassroots-insights/legia-warsaw-the-decision-makers-of-tomorrow.php
  5. Spokane Shadow SC, Abbas Faridnia, “Why we build out of the back” (2018). https://spokanesounders.org/why-we-build-out-of-the-back/
  6. TheMastermindSite, Rhys Desmond, “Playing out from the back: the basics” (2020). https://themastermindsite.com/2020/08/29/playing-out-from-the-back-the-basics/
  7. England Football Learning, Sturgess, “Receiving skills: take a picture”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/sessions/resources/2022/Receiving-skills-take-a-picture
  8. U.S. Soccer, “Game formats”. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/game/game-formats
  9. U.S. Soccer, age-group guide U7–U8. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/environment/age-group-guide/u7-u8
  10. England Football Learning, “What is a format in football”. https://learn.englandfootball.com/articles-and-resources/coaching/resources/2022/What-is-a-format-in-football
  11. U.S. Soccer, “Five things to know: how small-sided standards will change youth soccer” (2017). https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/08/five-things-to-know-how-smallsided-standards-will-change-youth-soccer
  12. IFAB, Laws of the Game, Law 16: The goal kick. https://www.theifab.com/laws/latest/the-goal-kick/
  13. U.S. Soccer Coaching Education and Referee Program, “How do changes to IFAB Law 16 (The Goal Kick) affect the Build-Out Line?” (August 2019), hosted by Wisconsin Youth Soccer. https://www.wiyouthsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/168/2023/09/U.S.-Soccer-Law-16-BOL-Clarification.pdf
  14. AYSO Wiki, “Player Development Initiatives”. https://wiki.ayso.org/wiki/Player_Development_Initiatives
  15. U.S. Soccer, age-group guide U11–U12. https://www.ussoccer.com/us-way/player-development/environment/age-group-guide/u11-u12
  16. The FA, “How England U15s play out from the back” (Kevin Betsy). https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/resources/coaching/how-england-u15s-play-out-from-the-back
  17. Soccer America, Mike Woitalla, “No punting allowed: a welcome change to American youth soccer” (8 August 2017). https://www.socceramerica.com/no-punting-allowed-a-welcome-change-to-american
  18. The FA, “The eleventh player” (Tim Dittmer, Martin Thomas). https://www.thefa.com/bootroom/resources/coaching/the-eleventh-player