Defenders clear every second ball even when they have time

I would coach the second ball as a new picture. The first action may genuinely need to be a clearance. Once the danger has changed, the next player should look again rather than repeating the emergency action automatically. You can create practices where the defending team gets a bonus for making the first safe pass after they win or clear the ball. That shifts attention from “get it away” to “what happens after we survive the first moment?” I would not punish a defender for clearing when pressure is real. At U11, the learning is recognising when pressure has gone. Defending and possession are connected: win the first action, then see whether the second action can help the team keep the ball rather than inviting the next attack straight back.