Saturday 4 May 2013



Soccer Passing Drills for Through Passing



I like to have a target man for passes into feet play off the last defender because you can execute variations of up back and through off that by dropping the ball back to midfielder for a through pass off the first diagonal between the CB and FB or for through ball shorter but right down the line behind a FB. Use the holdup play of your ST to determine where and how you build the through pass by which areas of space you open off it. But those primary areas behind the FB and in between CB+FB are key for me. Start working off those patterns and you can get pull back open from edge of the area back in.

I like to do this type of game with angled goals to create creative passing moves:

Half Field Soccer Passing Drills
2 Goals facing outwards so you have to score from behind
5v5 with GK and 1 attacker acting as target player 

The 5 are in the middle and must look for various through balls diagonals, short, down the line etc in order to penetrate through and wide. The finish a shot at goal. Add challenges where you see fit.

I do other soccer passing drills for playing through a block:

45x40 areas with cones on the corners to mark middle zone lines. 5v5 no keeper or 4v4 keeper. Goals only count if all the team is in the middle area so in order score they have to play through and fast before the opposing block gathers. It’s a good one for challenging how you make through passes in central areas. I use an "around the outside" challenge to progress it. Where I stipulate that once the team has possession the must attack by going around the outside. So they must move again from a central area to a wide area then back in with a cross of through pass wide. Again good for looking for alternate angle.

Also in my soccer passing drills I use "do not enter" areas in spaces behind or around the defence for defenders in 7v7, 8v8. I then have runs made into those areas and look for combinations where you might work it through. It makes it easy to point out positional failing in opponents when you have an area to work with. Making it easier to recognize which pass needs playing where and gives players an understanding of the value of attacking certain areas by going around or through early. You can use some cone soccer passing drills liek the ones below to build technical competence.

From a technical perspective and one of illustrating situations to players I use these two set ups for cones and final third through passing(you can work number 2 left or right side:

1             *             *

     *                                   *

2            *


           *                               *                  

Soccer passing drills like these cone drills gives you a point of reference when your players are  in front of goal for the kind through passing and areas I like to work in. it can be progressed to 3v2+gk or 4v3+gk so you can work you combinations and passing angles all under pressure and on a relatively fast paced set up.