A little note from the Coach
Fundamentals of Passing
There are many different ways to pass the ball in soccer. Some of them are basic and some more advanced. You can pass with the inside of the foot, the outside, the toe and even the heel (back pass). You can lay the ball out flat, make it curve in or out, chip it, loft it etc.

What we’ll be concerned with here initially are the fundamentals of basic passing, what you would teach to a 16 year old (and up) to build a foundation for more advanced techniques.

The basic coaching points for basic inside of the foot passing , From the Nose to the Toes are:

Head down – eye on the ball

Plant non-kicking foot along side the ball

Pick a spot near the center of the ball, strike ball at, or slightly above, this spot. Properly struck (in this manner) the ball should turn away from the passer and towards the receiver

Follow through
Sounds simple right? Well lets break them down one by one and then suggest methods for teaching this technique.

First, head down…you always hear coaches tell the players to play with their head up right? And of course that is right in most situations. The "head up" component of passing precedes the actual execution of the skill.

In other words the player must already have his target picked out before he executes the pass. Why head down? Because your eyes cannot affect the flight of the ball. It is more important that you strike the ball correctly and that is done by eye-foot coordination. In the best case, and with a lot of practice, the head is down for only a split second. As the players get older, peripheral vision comes into play and only the eyes move.

Second.. the plant foot. Important because if you plant your foot behind the ball your kicking foot is coming up as you strike leading to undercutting the ball. Now in advanced passing that is sometimes what you want to do but when we’re teaching the younger ages we just want the ball to travel in a straight line with some "weight" on it.

Third.. picking a spot on the ball. Again if you kick too low you’ll undercut the ball, pick too high and you’ll "top" it. With a lot of practice a child will automatically pick the sweet spot on the ball.

Last.. follow through. A common mistake made at the younger ages is the lack of a follow through…kick through the ball. They tend to jerk back as they strike the ball and consequently do not get a lot of power on the pass.



Teaching the Fundamental Skill of Passing

Have the players form two lines facing each other. One line goes down to their knees and holds the ball with both hands on the ground. The hands are safely together and BEHIND the ball. It is best if you demonstrate this technique before someone’s fingers are accidentally kicked.
The kicking players are to strike the ball moderately hard, without trying to kick the ball out of their teammates hands.

Coaching Points

Break the skill into simple steps.
Show where to strike the ball

Show where to plant the non-kicking foot

Show the head down position (eyes-on-the-ball)
Make sure that the players take their time in "resetting" after each kick. It is more important that technique is perfected than they get done with the drill. A lot of the younger players view everything as a race or a contest.

Listen for the sound of a ball being struck correctly. This is a very over-looked cue in sports. A well struck ball in any sport has a distinct sound to it. It is a very good way to get feedback on how a player is doing and once they recognize it, it is a powerful motivational tool that does not require "outside" (i.e. you the coach) intervention.

Make sure that both the dominant foot and the non-dominant foot are used. As the skill is acquired, try spending twice as much time on the non-dominant foot in order to build it up.
Once the fundamental technique is acquired it is time to move on to actual passing. At this point coaches tend to amplify the lesson into both passing and receiving. As the players get older this is more and more appropriate since they have been exposed to both. In addition you really need to be able to do both to effectively work the passing skill but at the real young ages if you introduce a second skill you will dilute what you are trying to get across. In general, teaching one skill at a time is the better course of action at the younger ages.


Progression of the Passing Skill

Basic Passing Progression #1

Have the players form two lines about 10 yards apart facing each other. Each player in one line starts with the ball. Make sure there is adequate room between the players for errant passes. If you find that the distance between the lines is too great stop the drill and bring them closer together. The drill must be geared for success to build confidence.

Have the players begin passing to their partner. As with the static drill mentioned above watch for proper striking technique, proper foot placement, eye-foot coordination (head down) and follow through.


But now in addition to these coaching points you must look for:

Proper "weight" on the ball. Weight is the speed, spin and/or pace of the ball. Too little weight and the ball doesn’t reach the target….too much and it is difficult to trap.

Accuracy. The plant foot is a big determiner of where the pass will go. Generally the pass will go where the plant foot toes point. You’ll see a lot of toes turning outward at the beginning. This should be corrected.

Stress that the player should not step back to kick the ball. A common error at the young ages is for the player to stop the ball, take one or two steps back and then pass it.
Again work both the dominant and non-dominant foot. Build success first with the dominant foot and then begin to work the non-dominant foot at a rate equal to twice that for the dominant one.

Basic Passing Progression #2 –The Triangle

The basic "shape" on the soccer field is the triangle. And the first basic tactical concept, which we will not go into in depth here, is the concept of support. In its simplest form the concept of support should find the ball carrier with players to his/her right and left giving him passing options. One coach I know used the approach of having the players "draw his six-shooters", holding their hands out at approximately 45o from their bodies. The fingers of the six-shooters then point at the two support players.

The easiest way to start the support triangle is to set up cones as markers where the players should stand. Start with the ball at the apex (center) of the triangle. Have this player pass to the left and then receive the ball back. Then pass to the right and receive the ball back. After 10 repetitions change the center player and repeat.

Coaching Points

Watch for body position on the pass. The plant foot is still the biggest determiner of where the ball will go.

The receiving player should take the ball on the foot opposite the direction from which the pass is coming. (i.e. if the pass is coming from the left, the right foot receives, and vice versa.) This is called opening up to the field of play, another concept that we will go into in more depth later.

Basic Passing Progression #3 –One Touch Passing

Have the players form two lines about 10 yards apart facing each other. Each player in one line starts with the ball. Make sure there is adequate room between the players for errant passes. If you find that the distance between the lines is too great stop the drill and bring them closer together. The drill must be geared for success to build confidence.

Have the players begin passing to their partner. At the youngest age you may want to have the ball served by hand, i.e. have the ball rolled to the kicking partner who now has to one touch (or one time) the ball back to their partner who picks it and rolls it back.

Once everyone is comfortable with one-touch you can progress to having both partners kick the ball one touch to each other. Make a game of it. Have them count how many times they can keep the ball going without either missing. Progress to a game where on each successive kick the players take one step closer to each other until the ball is ricocheting back and forth at a rapid pace.

Below are some basic passing games you can have a lot of fun with your younger players while teaching the fundamental skill.

Basic Passing Game U7: Keep Your Yard Clean

Create a 5 - 10 yard neutral area that no player can enter. Use a minimum of one ball per two players (for best results use a ball for each player). On command, each team tries to keep it's side free of balls by kicking through the neutral zone to the opposite side. Play for a specific time limit.

Progressions

Must use two touches.
Only use inside of foot.
Only use instep (laces) when kicking.
Increase size of neutral zone for more advanced players.
Use fewer balls.



Basic Passing Game U7: Rabbits

Create a grid 10 yards wide by 30 long. Line players up on both sides of the short side of the grid. Each player has a ball. One player starts on one end of the long side of the grid without a ball. Place a cone at the opposite end. The player without the ball has to run to the other end, grab the cone and return. The players with the balls have to try and hit the player carrying the cone with their ball below the waist.

Progressions

Place several cones within the grid. The player has to retrieve them all one at a time.

Advance to retrieving two cones at a time so that the player stays in the grid longer.



Basic Passing Game U7: Bowling

Place cones within a 10 x 10 yard grid. Each player has a ball. The object is to pass the ball into the grid and knock over a cone.



Basic Passing Game U7: Trick or Treat

This is a drill suggested by Ivan Mann, a coaching colleague from the soccer-coach-l mailing list.

Set Up and Execution

Make a square with pretty small sides - players line up on each side. Put an adult in the middle of each side (that means four adults) holding a dozen or so flat cones (you could use anything else similar size and shape). 50 cones or 50 slips of construction paper will do.

On a go signal, players dribble across the square, stop the ball with a foot on it, say "Trick or Treat ", take a cone from an adult, turn the ball, dribble back across, take a cone, etc. When all the cones are gone, who has the most? This requires dribbling at speed, avoiding the clump in the middle, controlling the ball around an opponent, but minimal coordination holding the cones.

After a few rounds dribble across the square, dribble around the coach, and then stop the ball, say "Trick or treat," etc. Or place the adults randomly in the square, moving at a walking pace. This makes them keep their heads up and look for the target (i.e. the adult)


Basic Passing Game U7 to U12: Numbers Passing

Players are numbered 1 to 5. (Make multiple teams and keep the numbers low so each player gets multiple touches on the ball.) Players pass the ball to the player with the number one higher than their own. (e.g. 1 passes to 2, 5 to 1). Ball travels through the entire team.

Progressions:

Initially, allow unlimited touches, players in static positions
Then two touches, not allowing the ball to stop
Then one touch.
Try playing with left foot only
Outside of foot only
With movement through a designated area
Coaching Points

Look for players making eye contact.
Good passing technique.
Angles of support.
Proper weight of passes.
Keep body open to the field of play