Football (soccer) drill library: Passing

Passing Game with Joker / Dice Five

2 teams + joker. For example, 2 v 2 or 3 v 3 (+ joker) depending on the area size. Teams play against each other, scoring a point for each successful pass through a gate goal. It's better to use cones or sticks instead of flat markers if possible. The joker always creates a numerical advantage for the team in possession. Can be played in sets, e.g., to 10 points, or as a timed game counting the final score. Immediate pass back through the same gate goal is not allowed. The coach can initially act as the joker, clarifying effective ways to find open spaces / gates and passing directions. Gate goals can be arranged in formations other than the "dice five" pattern. As a variation, it can also be played as a 4 v 2 game, where the scoring team has a clearer numerical advantage, making it considerably easier to score. In this case, rotate the defenders/ball interceptors.

Passing and Moving to Receive

In groups of four, play 3v1 (this can be scaled according to the group size, but with a smaller group it stays more active). The goal is to score by passing through a gate. If the defender manages to steal the ball, they try to dribble the ball through any gate, and then the attackers start again. It's beneficial if the gates are different colors, so the attackers can communicate with each other ("red!"). The defender can be changed, for example, after 3 defender goals. The aim is for the pass to come through the gate to a player in motion, in front of the player, so that the ball is controlled forward and the speed never stops.

Game Opening

Mark the goalkeeper's area on the field (e.g., play on a full-size field, use cones/flat markers, or similar). The game starts with the goalkeeper's opening play. The goalkeeper can dribble or pass the ball (by kicking/throwing, considering the box area). The defending team tries to steal the ball and score. The attacking team tries to score in the goals at the other end (can also use cone goals/dribbling goals). Note: Nothing prevents the goalkeeper from scoring a goal themselves. If needed, a scoring area can be added to the field to prevent random shooting. The aim is to avoid dangerous lateral passes between field players in their own half, instead teaching them to circulate the ball through the goalkeeper/deepest player when forward progression is blocked. Diagonal passes are okay.

Passing Drill in a Square

Three players and four cones. The pass is always given from outside the square, and after passing, the player moves to an empty cone. The ball and players move around the field in opposite directions. The first touch is taken towards the next player, which emphasizes the correct body position. The cone can also act as an opponent, from which the player should move a few steps away from the square before receiving the pass.

Three-field rondo

In this exercise, three equal-sized areas are created. In two areas, a 3v1 rondo is played where three players keep the ball away from one pressing player. In the third area, players pass freely, for example with one touch. When the pressing player ('rondo player') wins the ball, the player who lost the ball becomes the new pressing player, but they must run to a new group - the group that currently doesn't have a pressing player. If the pressing player has to stay in the middle trying to win the ball for an extended period, a rule can be agreed upon that, for example, after ten successful passes, the pressing player changes.

Passing drill in a square

One player is in the center of the area and three others go to the cones at the corners. The drill involves two balls. In the drill, the ball is passed to the player in the center, who turns and passes to a player without a ball, after which they scan to locate the other ball and prepare to receive a pass from there. The players on the edges move to an empty cone after passing.

Passing drill in large and small square

The area is divided into a larger and smaller square. In the smaller square, there is a 3v1 rondo, where the single player's goal is to win the ball or cause a bad pass that goes outside the smaller square. This triggers a 5v3 small-sided game, where the team of three players aims to win back the ball and play it into the smaller square for a new 3v1 rondo. When the ball goes out of the entire area, you can either continue from the 5v3 situation or return to the small square for the initial 3v1 setup. Switch roles.

Passing drill with first touch

Passing drill with three players. The drill starts from inside the area, from where a pass is made to a player at one end. After this, move out of the area to the side and receive the pass coming from the end while directing it toward the next passing target (player at the other end). Then move back inside the area to give a return pass to the end.

Passing drill for warm-up

Half of the players inside the area and half outside. 1min and then switch roles. Players in the middle get passes from the sidelines: 1. return the pass back to the sideline with one touch 2. two mandatory touches before passing back 3. header 4. half-volley return to the arms of the player on the sideline 5. control the pass and then pass to another player on the edge of the area who doesn't have a ball 6. chest control and pass back etc.

Crosses from the wing for goals

Crosses from the wing to desired goal areas. The situation begins from a dribbling course, from where the ball is passed to the center. The player in the center continues the play with a wall pass in a vertical direction. From the wing, the aim is to cross the ball with the first touch to the desired goal areas. The second queue performs ladder drills on the way to the wall pass position. The goals are positioned at the near post, far post, and cutback area.

Four-line dribbling and passing drill

Passing and dribbling drills.

Passing drill in pairs with gates

Create two opposite gates e.g. five meters apart (the longer the distance, the more difficult). Variations: 1. passes back and forth with one or two touches always through the gate 2. receiving the pass with the outside of the foot with first touch to the side of the gate (see picture), after which pass through the opponent's gate 3. receiving the pass with the inside of the foot to the side of the gate and return pass through the gate

Passing drill in pairs

Exercise for directing the first touch. Remember to swap the players' starting sides to enable balanced use of both feet.

Passing drill in a square with five players

Five-player passing drill in a square. The situation begins with a pass from a corner to the center and a run after it to the center. The player in the center passes to the next corner and moves to the corner where they received the pass from. Can be performed with one or two touches.

Passing drill for directing the first touch

Pass from one cone to another and follow the movement. Direct the ball to the other side of the cone with the first touch. After the last cone, proceed to the dribbling track and start a new round. In addition to the dribbling track, you can add a juggling station where players must juggle the ball e.g. 20 times total --> less queuing.

Long and short pass with three players

In this drill there are three players who execute a continuous passing pattern. The long pass should be played in the air. Drill sequence: 1. Player A makes a short pass of a few meters, accurately to the feet of the middle player (player B). 2. Player B returns the ball with one touch back to player A. 3. Player A delivers a long and controlled pass to the other side to player C. 4. Player C now performs the same pattern on the other side: short pass to player B, who returns it, after which a long pass back to player A. 5. The drill continues with the same pattern.

Passing drill with finishing

1. The player at the end passes the ball through the gate to the player on the flank. 2. The flank player takes the first touch toward the player in the middle, who takes the first touch toward the gate and passes the ball through it to the flank player ahead. 3. Finishing and rotation of positions.

Passing drill with three players

Movement and wall pass. 1. The black player passes to the blue player and follows the pass moving approximately halfway to the cones. 2. The blue player returns the ball to the black player and moves to the other side of the cone line. 3. The black player makes a wall pass through the cones and moves to the other end. 4. The blue player passes to the red player and follows the pass. 5. The red player returns the pass to the blue player, who then passes to the other side again.

Breaking through the lines

The field area is divided into three zones. The purpose is to play the ball through the central zone to the other side. The central players cannot leave the central zone but cover passing lanes. If the red players in the middle succeed in intercepting the blue pair's pass, the red players play the ball to the yellow players, and the blue players move to the central zone to intercept passes. Can be played with two players per line or more players can be added.

Breaking through the lines 2

The goal is to progress through the opponent's line to score a goal. The ball starts with the blue team. There are three players from the blue team in the blue team's defensive area. There are three players from the yellow team in the middle area, one of whom can leave the area to press the blue team's players. This creates a 3v1 situation in the blue defensive area. A rule can be established that the blue team must pass at least three times to their own players before attempting to pass to the blue attacking players. The remaining two players in the middle area cover passing lanes. In the final area, the blue team has two attackers and the yellow team has one defender and one goalkeeper. If the yellow team wins the ball, free play begins. When the ball goes into the goal or out of bounds, we start again from the beginning.

Passing drill in triangle

Three passing exercises in a triangle. The drill involves four players. In image 1, pass the ball to the next cone and follow your pass. In image 2, move halfway toward the cones, pass the ball slightly ahead to another player who then continues the pass to the next cone. Practice of wall pass. In image 3, pass the ball from halfway to the opposite cone.

Pass to the central player

Create two areas: a small area inside a larger one. Play 5v3. A target player is placed in the small area, to whom the team tries to play the ball and thus score a point. The defending team tries to prevent passes to the center. The defending team cannot leave the larger area or enter the small area. If the defending team manages to win the ball, the play is freed up and the yellow team tries to score in the goal positioned on the side.

Corner game in pairs

Divide players into pairs and give half of the pairs a ball. The players' goal is to win the ball for themselves and play the ball to the areas in the corners by passing. If a pair succeeds in scoring, they must switch to another corner. The same corner cannot be used again immediately. Pairs without the ball try to win the ball for themselves. Games last one/two minutes, after which points are counted. If the drill is too difficult, the number of balls can be increased.

3v1 target game

In this 3v1 exercise, the objective is to kick the ball so that it hits another ball placed on top of a cone and knocks it down. One player acts as a defender and tries to block the passing lane to prevent a successful shot. If the defender continuously moves too close to the ball in the middle, an area can be marked around it where the defender is not allowed to enter. If the defender wins the ball, they try to score in a small goal.

Number Passing

Two teams in the area and players are assigned their own numbers. Players pass the ball to their own team in a specific numerical order, e.g. 1->4 or 4->1. Variations: One-touch passes Continuous movement Increase the number of balls per team Divide the area into four sections and make a rule that passes must always go to a different section.

Building play through the goalkeeper

The game starts with the coach playing the ball to the goalkeeper. In the game, the yellow team has three defenders and a goalkeeper, and the opponent has two forwards (blue). The yellow team's task is to play the ball over the marked end line (can be the center line of the field). The blue team's task is to prevent progression beyond the end line and, after winning the ball, try to score a quick goal.

Passing drill in two lines

Passing drills in two lines. When there are many players, groups can compete against each other on who has the most careful performances.

Four player passing drill

The drill involves four players, two of whom are always in the middle. The players rotate in a circle, always passing with the players positioned at the ends (blue players). Roles are switched every minute.

Warm-up with Passing

Area and player positioning: Two players are in the middle of the area. There are four corners around the area, three of which have one player each and the starting corner has two players. Drill progression: The situation begins when the blue player passes to the red player. The red player passes to one of the players in the middle. The middle player continues the pass to the other player in the middle. This player passes to a player on the edge. The edge player passes once more to another edge player before the ball is played back to the middle. After each pass, the player follows their pass and moves to that position.

Passing Drill in Triangle 2

1. Player positioning: There is one player at each cone. One player is positioned in the middle of the area. 2. Drill progression: The drill begins when the player at the cone passes to the player in the middle. The center player returns the ball to the same player, but to the other side of the cone. The player who received the pass continues the play by passing the ball to the player at the next cone. The same pattern is repeated at each cone.

3v1 / 4v1 rondo

3v1 and 4v1 rondos. The player with the ball always has two passing options available. The player in the middle tries to win the ball, and the player who loses the ball/makes a poor pass goes in the middle. Rules can be added, such as one-touch only, mandatory two touches, etc.

2v2 with target players

The goal of the drill is to keep possession of the ball within your team. There is a target player on each side of the area who actively moves to be available for a pass on their side. Players of the same team are always positioned on opposite sides of the area. A goal is scored by, for example, making six consecutive passes to your teammates.

Target player rondo

Rondo with a target player. The blue team's objective is to pass the ball to the target player (blue-orange), which earns the team a point. The yellow player tries to intercept the ball and prevent the pass. After winning the ball, the yellow player tries to score in the small goal.

Three teams 4v2

Create three teams of two players who play a possession game in a designated area. In the picture, the blue and yellow teams are on the same side. If, for example, the blue team's pass fails or the red team intercepts the pass, the blue team transitions to chasing the ball while the red and yellow teams try to maintain possession.

First touch while running

In this exercise, players work in pairs and pass the ball through cones. Maintain speed and direct the first touch always forward along the course. Switch sides.

Passing drill with movements

Passing and movement in a triangle. Players in the smaller triangle move to the next cone after their pass. Variations: -One-touch passing -Two-touch passing -Players stand behind the cones and take their first touch e.g. from the left side of the cone to the right side and pass back.

Ball control in a square

This drill is done in pairs in marked areas. The purpose is to control the ball passed by your partner and keep it inside the marked area. After controlling the ball, pass it back to your partner. Repeat e.g. 10 times and switch roles. Variations: control from a throw-in pass along the ground pass in the air

4v4 + 2 jokers

The drill requires two teams of four players and two jokers. One of the four-player teams is on the outer edges of the area and the other inside the area with the jokers. The goal is to maintain possession with your own team. If the defending team (red) wins the ball, they move to the outer edges and the team that lost the ball (blue) moves to the center. The jokers are always on the side of the team in possession. Passes can be made through the jokers or directly from one side to another.

Pass and Move

A passing drill done in a square with three players. After passing, move to the empty cone. Variations can include e.g. unlimited touches, directing the first touch toward the middle of the square/toward the next passing target, one-touch passing etc.

Passing drill in a square with pressing

1. The exercise starts from a corner where there are two players (red). 2. The player with the ball passes to another corner (to blue). 3. The player who passed (red) immediately starts pressing the receiver (blue) by running and simultaneously changes position in the square. 4. The blue player tries to control the ball in a way that allows them to quickly pass to the next player (black) and thus avoid the pressing from the red player. 5. The blue player now takes their turn to press toward the black player.

Passing and finishing drill

1. Pass from the end player (red) to the blue player, who plays back with first touch. 2. Red player then plays a longer pass to the black player. 3. Black player passes to the blue player, who gives a pass into the run of the black player. 4. Finish.

4v2 rondo in zones

Divide players into two teams of four and split the area into two equal parts. On one side, a 4v2 situation is played, where the team in possession tries to keep the ball as long as possible. On the other side, the team's two other players are waiting. Game flow: The defenders (2 players) try to win the ball. If they succeed, they need to pass or dribble the ball to their teammates waiting on the other side. After this, the team that lost possession sends two players to defend on the other side. The new defenders move into the game, and the previous defenders remain waiting on their own side. The drill continues with continuous transitions, developing passing, build-up play, and defending. If the ball goes out of bounds, play continues from the other area. Each successful transition (moving the ball to the other side) earns the team 1 point. Every 5 consecutive passes by the team in possession earns 1 point. Play 2-3 minute games and count the points.

Four Area Rondo

Players are divided into four different areas. The drill begins with players passing freely within their own area, using one or two touches. When the coach shouts a specific area color, the players from that area leave their balls and start pressing to win the balls from the other areas. For example, if the coach shouts "Blue!", the blue area players move to press in other areas, one per area. If a blue player manages to win the ball from, for example, the yellow area players, they immediately move to help their blue teammates with pressing in the next area. The drill continues until all balls have been won.

Crosses from the wing and finishing

In this drill, a pass is made from the central channel through a gate to a wing player. The winger crosses the ball to the goal either with the first or second touch. From two lines in the central channel, attackers start to finish from the cross.

Passing Drill

Points 1-4 in the picture are passes from the end player to the players on the sides and returns. Point 5 is a long pass to the other end. Point 6 is the end player's movement to the side. Points 7-8 start a new cycle from the other side, i.e., passes to both sides and returns.

Three-player passing drill

From central area to the wing, cross and finish

1. The drill begins with a pass from the red player to the blue player in the center. 2. The blue player receives the ball and turns to pass to the black player making a run on the wing. 3. The black player receives the ball on the wing and delivers a cross from behind the cone in the corner. 4. The yellow player finishes from the cross. 5. After the cross has been made, a similar situation begins from the red player at the other end. The blue player stays in the center and is "shared" by both sides. By positioning the orange cone in the corner, we can define what type of crosses we want (early crosses, cutbacks). Keep the roles for multiple repetitions and then rotate the positions.

Pass and move 2

1. Blue player runs between the orange cones and receives a pass from the red player. 2. Blue player passes back to the red player and moves to the side of the other orange cone. 3. Red player passes to the blue player at the side of the cones. 4. Blue player plays the ball to another blue player in their starting line and follows the ball to the back of the same line. 5. The red player now runs to the center of the cones and the same pattern repeats.

From rondo to crossing and finishing

The drill requires two areas where rondos are played. Additionally, cones in the corners (blue in the image), from behind which the ball is crossed towards the goal. The drill starts with a 3v2 rondo in one of the marked areas. In the other area, one player is waiting. If a defending player wins the ball from the team in possession, they try to play a pass to their teammate waiting in the other area. When the ball is played to the second area, all players involved in the rondo move towards the goal, either defending (red) or attacking (black). The player who received the ball quickly dribbles to the blue cone and crosses to the goal.

4v1 in two areas

4v1 rondo, where the goal after winning the ball is to play it to the other side. A goal is six consecutive passes to your own teammates. 1. Players are on the edges of the area except for the defender and try to keep possession of the ball within their own team by passing. 2. The red player intercepts the black player's pass. 3. The red player quickly plays the ball to the other side of the area, where their teammates are. 4. The black player who was on the dividing line in the middle of the area moves to the other side as the defender to win the ball from the red players. The previous red defender moves to the center line.

Passing drill in a square

1. Blue player passes to another blue player and moves after the ball to the same cone. 2. The blue player who received the ball passes diagonally to a red player, but now moves to the cone on their own side from which they previously received the pass. 3. Red player passes to another red player and moves after the ball to the same cone. 4. The red player who received the ball passes diagonally to a blue player, but now moves to the cone on their own side from which they previously received the pass.

Passing Drill in Pairs 2

The drill is performed in pairs. Mark a spot with a cone for one stationary player (blue) and two points for the other player who moves back and forth (yellow). 1. The drill starts with a pass from the blue player to the yellow player at the further line. 2. The yellow player returns the pass to the blue player. 3. The yellow player moves to the closer line and receives a pass. 4. The yellow player returns the pass and backs up to the further line. 5. The same pattern repeats.

Warm-up with passing between two teams

In this drill, two players from both teams position themselves on opposite sides of the field. The goal is to progress from one end to the other by passing. The player who passes to the player on the side then moves to the side position, and the player who was on the side moves to the center.

Square Game

Played with two teams 3v3-5v5. The objective of the drill is to play a pass through the area in the middle to your teammate. The opposing team tries to win the ball and score in the same way.