Quality passing
The foundation of possession soccer
BY sTeVe sPence
An essential part of playing (and winning) at soccer
is to maintain possession of the ball. The longer your
team has the ball, the greater the probability of your
team scoring. Opponents tire and become frustrated
Instructions
when they do not have the ball – they cannot score without it!
• Two players face each
Watch closely the world’s best teams like Manchester United,
other with three cones
positioned between them
Arsenal, Real Madrid and Inter Milan. Balls are played continually into
• Pass back and forth
areas where there is more room to work. More room equals more
through the gates
time with the ball. • Change the angle with the first-touch when receiving and pass it
The ability for a team to retain prolonged possession is built on a
back through the other gate
strong foundation of individual passing skills.
• After a while switch to left foot passes
Effective training of passing technique should stress the following
focus
points:
• Inside of foot
• Sound of the pass (thump)
• Keep the ball on the ground – a pass that is bouncing or lofted is
• Follow through
difficult for the receiver to control
• Eye on the ball
• Kick through the ball – strong players know that by kicking the ball • Hit the ball at its midway point
in their running stride, passes will usually be accurate and on the
progression
ground • Players can pass through a choice of gates, so that both left and right
• Eliminate sidespin – a spinning pass often misses its target and is
feet are used
more difficult to handle
Competition
• Judge a pass by its sound – a “thump” is a good sound while a
• Place two cones behind each player, approximately one metre apart
“slap” usually indicates a pass that was poorly struck
• Each player tries to knock over one of his opponents cones with a pass
• Play the ball to feet or to space – players should know when passes
are best played to feet (the target is standing still or coming toward
the passer), or played into space (the target is moving or the
passer wants to encourage the target to move)
• Avoid one-touches – players sometimes make
one-touch passes when they don’t need
to and this puts their team at a much
= a run
greater risk of losing the ball = a pass
The illustrations on this page show a
progression of two separate exercises that
work on these skills. Combine these for an
effective team practice focused on passing
skills.
Don’t forget that to achieve a noticeable
Instructions
change in any technique requires
• Two groups of players face
each other
repetition. To avoid boredom with younger
• The player with the ball passes it to the
players, you will need to change the
player opposite (#1) and moves into a
exercises frequently, but you can still apply support position
repetitive training.
• The two players then exchange passes
Everyone admires the magically quick
(#2 and #3) before the ball is sent (#4) back
progression
to the starting position
foot-skills of Cristiano Ronaldo, but one
• Two-touch or even one-touch passing
• The player making pass #4 moves into a
• Players decide when to hit the ball one-
of the key reasons he is one of the best
support position to receive pass #5 and make
touch or not
players in the world is his amazing 82 per pass #6
• Player delivering the long ball chooses
cent passing accuracy – a tremendous
• The sequence continues with new players
which side to support after passing -
ability to deliver the right pass on-target,
focus
requires the receiving player to adjust.
repeatedly.
• Ball on ground
Steve Spence has been a head coach with
• Kick through the ball (pass in your running
the Ottawa Fury for five years and is currently
stride)
• Difference between balls hit to feet (1, 2, and 4)
coaching the U16 boy’s team.
and which to space (3)
• Open up to play Pass #3
10
Ottawa
www.Kickabout.ca
>> sprING/suMMer 2008
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