All weeks

Week 5: passing

Rec practice for Wednesday, October 7. The focus for all ages is passing: the inside of the foot to pass and receive.

Print view
  1. Passing focusInside of the foot. No toe.
  2. Pass through the conesPartners through a gate. Everyone at once.
  3. Dribble pass optionsDribble, stop, pass. Two sides.
  4. Knock the conesPass from outside to knock cones down.
  5. Academy 3v1 to lines1v1 with two bumpers. Better for older kids.
  6. Sharks and minnows: 3v1 twiceForce passing in every zone.
1

Passing focus

Inside of the foot to pass and receive. No toe. If laces work better for younger kids that's fine, but don't let them use their toe.

PlayersCoach or defenderConePlayer runsPass, throw, or shot

If a technical drill turns into dribbling, change it slightly for a pass: dribble, turn, and pass back instead of dribbling back.

Younger group

1v1 with a shooting line

SHOOTING LINEAD
Attacker takes on the defender
  • 1 pugg or gate goal
  • Shooting line 5+ yards out
  1. Mark a shooting line 5 or more yards out from a pugg (or gate) goal.
  2. The attacker goes around the defender.
  3. They must shoot before they reach the line.

Shooting from 8 or 9 yards out simulates a pass to a forward.

Lots of technical work, and games with chances to pass, even 1v1. A shot isn't a pass, but hitting a gate from 5 yards out uses the same skills as a 5-yard pass.

Open this drill on its own →

Older group: still do skill work on passing, but focus games on 3v1s to give space for passing. Use rules to keep attacking space and require passing: zones they can't leave, a set number of passes before scoring, or keep away (rondos).

2

Pass through the cones

121212
Player 1 passes through the gate
  • Everyone at the same time
  • Gate of tall or short cones
  1. Set out a gate goal (tall cones or short).
  2. Player 1 passes through the cones to player 2.
  3. Player 2 controls it and passes back.

Make it a competition

Individually or in teams: who gets it through the gate the most?

For older kids

Put up one tall cone. They get a point for hitting it as they pass across.

Focus on passing through the gates to a partner. A simple way to walk around and work on each player's technical touches.

Open this drill on its own →

3

Dribble pass options

Works on dribbling and turns from previous weeks while adding passing. Coach the passing technique.

Pick a side

  • 3 players minimum
  • 1 ball
  • No goals
123
Player 1 dribbles to the cones

Dribble pass options: side 1

  1. Player 1 dribbles to the cones and stops the ball in the middle of them.
  2. Player 1 runs to the back of the other line (behind player 2).
  3. Player 2 runs to the ball and passes first touch to player 3.
  4. Player 2 runs behind player 3, and the pattern repeats.

Focus on the approach for the pass: plant foot, stepping into the pass, and using the inside of the foot.

4

Knock the cones

C
Players stay outside the cones
  • Ball for each player
  • Cones in the middle
  1. Set cones up in the middle of the grid.
  2. Players stay on the outside and pass to knock the cones over.
  3. A player (or coach) without a ball stays in the middle, picking cones back up.

Other way to play

Players dribble within the grid and try to pass a ball into the cones.

The director recommends the outside version. Either way, coaches help retrieve balls and reset cones as needed.

Open this drill on its own →

5

Academy 3v1 to lines

BB
Blue against green, bumpers on the outside
  • 2 bumpers outside the grid
  • Lines at each end
  1. Blue against green in the middle, with two red bumpers (B) outside the grid.
  2. The two in the middle use dribbling and passing to beat the other across the line.
  3. Work on keeping control. Don't just kick the ball across the line.

Bumpers

Play 2 touch, and must play the ball back to the colour that passed it. Remind them to move up and down the side to help the attackers.

Rotation

After each 3v1, the two bumpers go to the end of the attackers' lines (one blue, one green), and the blue and green players become the new bumpers.

Younger kids may not get the idea of wide targets, but older kids can use them to keep spacing and work on when to dribble and when to pass around a defender.

Open this drill on its own →

6

Sharks and minnows: 3v1 twice

123123DD
Three attackers start in zone 1
  • 8 or more players
  • 1 to 3 goals
  • Field split into 3 zones
  1. Divide the field into 3 equal rectangles, with 1 to 3 goals on one endline.
  2. Put a single defender in zone 2 (middle) and zone 3 (the one with the goals). They must stay in their zones.
  3. Three lines of attackers use passing and dribbling to move from one zone to the next and beat the defenders.

Possible rule

Attackers must play 2 touch in zones 1 and 3. This forces passing in zone 1 and quick finishing in zone 3.

Rotate

Rotate defenders after 2 to 3 minutes, or have them rotate naturally if they steal the ball.

When to pass versus dribble. Balance and support in attack: a triangle shape, with depth and width.

Force passing in each zone on the way to goal. Even require passing in zone 1, where there's no defender.

Open this drill on its own →