Passing

Keeping possession is the key to winning and these soccer passing drills will help your team achieve that. The best passing teams dictate the play, conserve energy, make the best of their resources and score more goals. Passing is about technique, judgement and vision.These passing drills give you some great advice on how to coach these attributes to your players. Long passing, short passing, side foot passing and crossing are all dealt with. We also have great passing games to really sharpen your players’ passing skills.

All round passing and receiving

in Passing, Practice plans

Fine-tune your players’ general passing and receiving and passing. skills with this trio of drills that all take place inside a circle. Increasing the speed of each activity will improve players’ skill level. MORE

Possession Game

in Passing, Small Sided Games

Both teams must try to win and keep possession of the ball. A goal is awarded to the team that completes a certain number of passes (a minimum of 5 for younger players). The game is played for a set time period. MORE

Mix and match

in Passing, Practice plans

In matches, players have to make a range of passes across various distances. The practices in this session are designed to improve awareness of when to use a short pass and when a longer pass is required. MORE

Lofted and driven

in Passing, Practice plans

There are two types of long pass: Lofted and driven. Develop your players’ ability to execute both with this session that will keep them interested. MORE

How to teach chipping

in Passing, Soccer drills and skills

This simple game not only helps to develop the kind of soft touch your players will need to chip the ball, but it is also a fun way to pack up at the end of a training session too. MORE

Pre-match warm-up

in Passing, Warm Ups

This session works on encouraging communication and good passing and getting players to drive into space and hit the target. MORE

Driving range

in Attacking, Passing

Use this training session to show your forwards how to bring other players into the game in the final third of the pitch. This will get your players winning the ball and playing deep behind the attackers to play into them. MORE

Wide receivers

in Attacking, Passing

According to Fulham coach Steve Wigley this is a great session for passing and receiving, something that you cannot practise enough of if you want your team to retain possession and move the ball up the pitch into attacking areas. MORE

Return to play: Short or long

in Passing, Return to play

If you are social distancing please observe your local rules. This is very easy to set up and can be used for different distances, long and short passing coupled with a one-two skill. It is a simple unopposed activity but it needs good coordination. MORE

Olé football

in Passing, Practice plans

Spain and Barcelona mesmerise their opponents when in possession of the ball. Improve your players’ composure when they have the ball to emulate the Spanish. This session will help your players retain possession and if the opposition do not have the ball, they cannot score any goals. MORE

Return to play: fast combinations

in Passing, Return to play

Great for social distancing rules and numbers at trainingThis is a game that encourages fast combination play and quick reactions that players need when they have won the ball. MORE

Return to play: Quick passing

in Passing, Return to play

Please check out the latest sport and social distancing guidelines in your area, and follow the recommendations when planning training sessions. This is great for first touch and anticipating the pass MORE

Leading the charge

in Passing, Practice plans

This session is designed to improve forward passing and supporting runs which give options to the player in possession of the ball. MORE

Return to play: support patterns

in Passing, Return to play

A non-contact game that keeps players apart. If you want your team to have more creative options in the final third, use this session to encourage players to support team-mates and improve first-touch and accurate passing. MORE

Return to play: passing for 5 players

in Passing, Return to play

This session fits in with the latest advice regarding returning to play. Passing sequences are fun ways to get your team used to linking play and using the ball with good direction and weight. MORE

Line breaking passes

in Passing, Rondos, Tactics

The key rondos passes can be used in tactical play during matches to play between the lines with the key play splitting lines of defence to create goalscoring runs MORE

Just passing through

in Passing, Practice plans

Good, progressive, passing football involves moving the ball forward by breaking through defensive lines and slipping passes between defenders. Use this session to help your players learn this simple, yet devastating, skill. MORE

Clever combination play can deliver fast attacks

in Attacking, Email newsletters, Passing

I work my players every training session on keeping the ball. Small sided passing games that are opposed in overload situations are a key way to getting players used to keeping the ball by passing and moving under pressure. MORE

Clever keeper

in Goalkeeping, Passing

This session is about keeper distribution and retaining possession by building play from the back. It mimics short passes to centrebacks and midfield players, low driven and chipped passes to full-backs and wide midfielders, and longer passes to centre-forwards and wide attackers MORE

See the pass

in Attacking, Passing

Long passes can be a key way to open up an opposition defence or to find space on the pitch by switching play. A great way to help young players to spot longer passing options and to see beyond the first players in their line of vision. MORE

Don’t panic under pressure

in Passing, Practice plans

It’s tough trying to keep calm and pass the ball when the opposition’s defenders are swarming around, but being able to do so will mean your team is less likely to give away possession and so retain control of the ball. MORE

Coconut shy

in Passing, Shooting

A basic introduction for helping with weight and accuracy of passing. Can also be a good game for a cool down or to be used during a training session following a game. MORE

Pass with purpose

in Attacking, Passing

It is important for young players to recognise when the ball is passed to them by looking up at all times giving them more chance to control the ball. MORE

Passing with purpose

in Passing, Practice plans

An attacking team’s first priority when passing is to play positively towards a target. If they’re prevented from reaching that target, their second aim is to retain possession until they can find an opportunity to pass. This session focuses on risk and reward. Do your players pass or do they keep the ball? MORE