WORLD CLASS COACHING
The Complete Guide to Passing and Possession
By Jebreel Bubtana
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part One
INTRODUCTION
TECHNICAL WARM-UPS
Part Two
NON DIRECTIONAL POSSESSION EXERCISES
Part Three
DIRECTIONAL POSSESSION EXERCISES
INTRODUCTION
This is a collection of exercises that coaches can use to train players in any age group regardless of ability level. The exercises are designed to be simple and easy to understand but ultimately effective in improving an individual’s passing technique and a team’s ability to possess the ball.
Soccer has developed and changed considerably in recent years, and possessing the ball has become an incredibly important part of the game. With that being said, the ability to pass and receive the ball well under pressure is the minimum expectation for any player and team.
We start off with exercises that can be used as a technical warm up for your players. Some exercises will focus purely on technique and others will add interference in order to encourage decision making. We then move on to non-directional and directional exercises that will encourage decision-making and challenge your player’s technique under pressure.
I would encourage anybody reading this to be creative and adapt these exercises to their own coaching situation. Every team is different so it is important to adapt these exercises to your own team! Another thing to consider is that many of these exercises can also be used to achieve different goals and so, again, feel free to adapt these exercises.
TECHNICAL WARM UPS
Passing Technical Warm Up
This exercise will work on your player’s passing and receiving technique with interference, which will also challenge your players with their decision-making.
Each team will have one ball to work with. Two players from each team will be in the middle of the square and one player from each team on the outside of the area opposite each other who will act as target players as shown below. Adjust the size of the area depending on the age and ability of your players.
The two teams must work the ball from one target player to the opposite target player using the two players in the middle. Both players in the middle must touch the ball before the other target player receives the ball. Both teams will work at the same time, working their way through the “chaos/interference.”
Progression:
If a gap opens up, the target player can pass to the opposite target player and the players in the middle must adjust their position to receive the ball again.
Coaching Points:
• Accuracy and weight of pass
• Players in the middle should receive with an open body position and on their back foot
• Check shoulder before receiving the ball to be aware of pressure and to take first touch into appropriate space
• Decision-making of where to move to receive the ball and when to pass
• Communication
Four Team Pass and Move
Similar to the previous exercise, this will also work on your players’ passing and receiving technique with interference to provide the decision-making element.
Each color team will have one ball and they will pass and move in their group, ideally using 2 touches. Encourage all teams to use the whole area in order to create decision-making as the teams get in each other’s way. Adjust the size of the area depending on the age and ability of your players.
Progression:
The player receiving the ball can only do so once he has found a gap between two players of a different team as shown below.
Coaching Points:
• Accuracy and weight of pass
• Receive on the back foot and with an open body position
• Check shoulder before receiving the ball to be aware of pressure and to take first touch into appropriate space
• Keep scanning area as play is going on in order to know where to pass next before receiving the ball
• Decision-making of where to move to receive the ball and when to pass
• Communication
Passing Diamond
The exercise will focus on receiving on the back foot as well as the timing of the pass and movements.
Set up the players as shown below, with 3 players on both ends of the diamond and one player on the other two cones. Two balls are needed in this exercise, which will start on the cones with the 3 players. The cones in this exercise will be the defenders. In this exercise, both lines will go at the same time. Adjust the distances between the cones depending on the age and ability of your players.
The players with the ball on either end of the diamond pass to the player to their right, who will have checked away from the cone slightly to create space to receive on their back foot, which would be their right foot in this situation. After this player has controlled the ball with their back foot, they also pass to the player to their right, after that player has also checked away from the cone/defender. All players must follow their pass.
Progression:
Turn into a competition between groups to see who can get the ball around successfully the most in a 30-45 second period. Make sure that you practice this with the ball going to their player’s left as well.
Progression:
You can also add to this to create a pass combination. The players will pass the ball to the player to their right just as they did previously, but this time that player will check away from the defender towards them and set it back first time. When the start player gets the ball back, they pass to player on the far side of the diamond as shown below. Again this player will have checked away from the cone/defender to receive the ball.
Make sure you have the players practice in the other direction and then you can have a competition similar to the previous one.
Progression:
A give and go could also be added to the last sequence, but be creative and make up your own pass combination.
Coaching Points:
• Accuracy and weight of pass
• Receive on the back foot and with an open body position
• Check shoulder before receiving the ball to be aware of pressure and to take first touch into appropriate space (check right shoulder if right foot is the back foot)
• Communication
• Timing of movement and pass
Passing Y
The passing Y is a very popular passing exercise that works on passing, receiving and timing. The beauty of this exercise is that there are so many variations that you can do.
Set up the field as shown below, the distances between the cones and mannequins can be changed depending on the age and level of your players.
Variation 1:
Player 1 passes to player 2 who has checked away from the mannequin to create space (change the side of the mannequin that the player moves to every time). Player 2 controls with their back foot and passes to player 3 who has checked away from the cone and receives the ball on the run. Player 3 dribbles back to the start. All three players follow their pass.
Variation 2:
Player 1 passes to player 2 who has checked away from the mannequin to create space and then passes back to player 1 first time (change the side of the mannequin that the player moves to every time). Player 1 passes to player 3 who has checked away from the cone and receives the ball on the run. Player 3 dribbles back to the start. All 3 players move to the same places that they moved to in variation 1.
Variation 3:
Player 1 passes to player 2 who has checked away from the mannequin to create space and then passes back to player 1 first time (change the side of the mannequin that the player moves to every time). Player 1 passes to player 3 who has checked away from the cone to receive in space. Player 2 moves to perform a give and go with player 3 who then dribbles back to the start. The players move to the same cones afterwards that they did with the first two variations.
Variation 4:
You can perform any of the passing variations above but now when player 3 receives the ball they will shoot on the goal below as shown below.
Further variations:
Be creative and make your own passing combinations. You can also introduce other parts of the game as shown in variation 4 with the shooting at the end of the exercise, for example, you can designate a defender and when player 3 receives the ball it will turn into a 1v1 to a mini goal.
Coaching Points:
• The quality of the pass to the correct foot
• Timing of the movements before the pass
• Receive on the back foot
• Check the correct shoulder before receiving the pass
Passing and First Touch Square
The main focus of this next exercise is the technique of passing and receiving the ball.
One player will start in the middle of the square and the 3 other players will be 10-15 yards outside the square as shown below. Two of the players on the outside will start with a ball.
The player in the middle of the square will receive a ball from either player on the outside, take a touch and pass to the open player who started without the ball. The player in the middle then receives from the next player and again passes to the open player and this continues.
After a minute in the middle, rotate this player.
Progression:
Challenge the player’s first touch by having the players on the outside play the ball in or throw the ball in at different heights.
Progression:
The players on the outside can move so that the player in the middle has more of a challenge in getting the ball to the open player.
Coaching Points:
• Accuracy and weight of the pass
• Receive on the back foot and with an open body position towards the open player when receiving on the ground
• Cushion the ball when receiving it
• Communication
Passing and Receiving on the Back Foot
An important aspect of possession soccer is switching the point of attack. The following exercise will work on the technical aspect of this and get the players into good habits.
Set up 3 cones 15-20 yards (vary distance depending on age--this could be shorter or longer) apart in a straight line across the field, with a player on each cone and a ball starting on one end as shown below.
The player in the middle checks away from the cone to receive from an outside. As they check away, they must open up their body and receive on their back foot before passing across/switching the play across to the open player. The player then returns to the middle cone, and checks away again to receive the ball and switch it back to where it started.
After rotating all 3 players, you can turn this into a competition between groups. Each group has 30-40 seconds to try and switch the ball through the middle player from one side to the other. Points only count if the player in the middle gets in the correct open body position and receives it on their back foot.
Progression:
The player in the middle now receives the ball and plays it back to the same player with their back foot, who then plays it all the way across to the open player on the far side. The middle player then returns to the middle cone and repeats this on the other side to get the ball back to where it started.
Coaching Points:
• Accuracy and weight of the pass
• The player in the middle should check away from the middle cone/defender with a short sharp movement
• Encourage the player in the middle to receive with one foot and pass with the other to speed up the play, for example, if the right foot is the back foot then they receive with that foot and pass with the left across to the other side as this is quicker than using the same foot throughout
• Check shoulder before receiving the ball to be aware of where the open player is
• Communication
Passing and Receiving
The focus of this exercise is on passing and receiving technique. However, there will be a lot of interference in the progressions, which will give the players plenty of decision-making opportunities.
Set up the field as shown below with a small square in the middle of a bigger area (adjust depending on age and ability). Split your group into two, half of the players will have a ball on the outside to act as feeders and the other half will wait in the middle square.
The players in the middle run towards any feeder on the outside, receive a pass, control the ball and pass back to the same player using the inside of the foot.
The middle players then head back into the middle before receiving another pass from a different feeder. After one minute, switch roles.
Progression:
You can test the first touch of the players in the middle by having the feeders throw the ball in at different heights.
Progression:
The exercise starts off in the same way with the players in the middle checking towards a feeder and receiving the ball from them, but rather than passing back, they will pass the ball out to a different player/feeder on the outside who does not have a ball. The middle player then heads back into the middle and looks to receive another ball from a different feeder.
The players in the middle will have a lot of decision-making opportunities as the other players will be performing at the same time as them, so they will need to decide when to dribble or pass and where the space is.
Progression:
The players in the middle will now start with the ball. Their job is to dribble and then pass the ball to an outside player. Once the outside player receives the ball, they will perform a give and go with the player in the middle. The two players now switch roles, so when the player who was on the outside receives the ball back from the give and go, they continue to dribble in the middle of the area before finding someone else to do the sequence of passes with.
Again, the players will have to make a lot of decisions in order to work through the chaos in the middle of the area.
Coaching Points:
• Accuracy and weight of the pass
• Cushion the ball with the first touch using the inside of the foot
• Encourage controlling the ball using the back foot as much as possible, make sure that the body position is open and that the player has checked their shoulder to see where the space is before receiving the pass
• Communication
• Decision-making (where the space is to receive the ball, when to dribble and when to pass)
Passing and First Touch
This is a very simple exercise but can be a good start to a session to give the players plenty of touches on the ball to get them comfortable with passing and receiving.
Each pair will need one ball. The two cones will be 3-4 yards apart, with one player standing on the outside of one of the cones and their partner with the ball 10-15 yards away, who will act as a feeder as shown below. Adjust distances depending on age and ability.
The feeder passes into their partner, who will control and pass back. As soon as this player passes back, they side shuffle to the outside of the other cone, receive the ball and pass back in two touches.
After 45 seconds, switch the two players over.
Progression:
You can have the player who is working on the cones pass back first time. You can also work on controlling the ball at different heights before passing back.
Progression:
Add a third cone, 3-4 yards behind the original cones used to create a triangle. The passing is the same as before but now the player at the cones will move back slowly after every pass they make towards the back cone before making a quick sharp movement as if to get away from a defender to receive the ball on the outside of the next cone.
Coaching Points:
• Correct passing technique using the inside of the foot
• Accuracy and weight of the pass
• Cushion the ball with the first touch using the inside of the foot
• Communication
• In the last progression, ensure that the movement from the back cone to outside of one of the cones in front of them is done quickly as if to create space away from a defender
3v0 Passing
This exercise will focus on movement and maintaining triangles on the field, which will help your team keep possession of the ball.
Set up an 8 x 8 yard diamond, with three players and one ball per group/diamond. The players without the ball must be on the cones to the right and left of the player with the ball to create a triangle with two passing options on either side of the player with the ball. The cone opposite the player with the ball is always going to be empty.
The exercise starts with a pass to one of the open players. As soon as a pass is made, the player who did not receive the ball must move quickly to the open cone in order to maintain the triangle shape with the options being to the right and left of the player with the ball. Continue with the passing and moving.
After the players understand the movement required, you can turn this into a competition to see which group can get the most passes in 30-45 seconds.
Progression:
Now you can allow passes to go through the middle of the area to a player standing opposite the player with the ball. For example, the exercise continues as before, but a player may decide to stay on a cone rather than move to give the player on the ball an option to their right and left. The pass can now be made to the player opposite but this now means that the player who just passed the ball must now move to the open cone to give the player who just received the ball a passing option to their right and left. Encourage the players to still maintain the correct shape as previously mentioned and to not use this option all the time.
Just as before, you can turn this into a competition to see which group can get the most passes in 30-45 seconds.
Coaching Points:
• Correct passing technique using the inside of the foot
• Accuracy and weight of the pass
• Quick movement to the correct cone (read body language of the player with the ball and try to start the movement to the open cone as the ball is being passed)
• Communication
• Back foot first touch
