Session programme
Passing and receiving to
score
Contents
Week one: playing in the grids 3
Week two: combine with a partner 5
Week three: passing teams 7
Week four: passing to penetrate 9
Week five: combination play to attack 11
Week six: passing to score festival 13
2
Week one: playing in the grids
This session will help players:
• learn to use a wide variety of passes
• be aware of the factors that may impact decisions incluidng the space available, first touch,
and options once you get the ball.
Coaching points
• Allow for your players to practise multiple techniques and decide which methods work best.
• Encourage bravery in passing and moving quickly.
• Consider if space and time is impacting execution of the pass.
• Encourage players to scan and consider positioning.
Bonus point
Arrival activity Practice one
• Create a 20x20-yard area and split it into four ‘grids’ • Add a ‘bounce zone’ to both ends of your pitch for this
• Have a player in each grid, and four players posi- 4v4 game
tioned around the area • Each side has a target player in a bounce zone
• Have two footballs in play • Teams aim to combine with teammates to pass to
• Players in a grid receive the ball from someone their target player – doing this earns them a point
outside the area, then move and pass to an outside • If the target player passes back to their teammate, a
player that’s free bonus point is awarded
3
Practice two
• Agree on nine actions to achieve, like a left-foot pass
or an assist
• Put these in a bingo grid on two whiteboards
• Allocate one team as ‘Xs’ and one as ‘Os’
• Then play a normal game
• When an action has been completed players mark it
off
• Teams try to get three in a line or a full house
4
Week two: combine with a partner
This session will help players:
• explore two player moves
• work together as a team.
Coaching points
• Consider using variations on two player moves.
• Consider key capabilities such as scanning, positioning and technique.
• Allow players to make their own choices on which moves work best.
Arrival activity Practice one
• Put a goal at one end of the pitch • For this 2v1 activity, set up multiple small pitches
• Split the area down the middle to create two channels each with a goal or an end zone
• Each channel has a turning zone opposite the goal • The two players work together to combine to beat
and a line of cones down the middle their opponent and score
• In twos, players pass and move down the channel • Encourage them to try different two-player core
• They then turn in the zone and work their way up to moves such as a wall pass or an overlap
goal before scoring
5
Practice two
• Progress to a 2v2 game on pitches that have a goal at
each end
• Make games last two minutes
• To add competition, and get players taking on
different teams, you could move teams up and down
pitches depending on who wins their match
6
Week three: passing teams
This session will help players:
• explore what it means to be effective at receiving
• understand how receiving can impact your next move or decision.
Coaching points
• Explore how body shape can impact the next movement of a player.
• Encourage players to think about what is around them.
• Remind players they can protect the ball or decide to turn and play forward.
Arrival activity Practice one
• Set up a 10x20-yard pitch • Create a circular area 16-yards in diameter
• Split your group into ‘taggers’ and ‘runners’ • Split your players into groups of four
• Taggers have one ball between them and pass it to • One player from each group starts in the middle with
each other with their hands everyone else spread around the area
• They can’t move when they have the ball • Each group can have one or two footballs between
• If get close to a runner, they can tag them with the them
ball
• If a runner is tagged, they become a tagger
7
Practice one – continued Practice two
• Players in the middle receive the ball, then turn and • Set up a 20x20-yard area with a small square in each
pass to a teammate who’s free corner
• They then receive another pass and repeat • Create four teams – three teams attack and one team
• You could adapt the practice by allowing players on defends
the outside to move around so those in the middle • The attacking teams have a ball each – attackers
need to scan to find them score a point each time they reach a square
• They lose their points every time the ball goes out or
the defenders gain possession
8
Week four: passing to penetrate
This session will help players:
• develop our understanding on penetrative passes
• look at the timing and techniques for when these passes can be made
• consider how penetrative passes can help us score goals.
Coaching points
• Get your players to think about the timing of their passes.
• Encourage your players to think about how you can help other players to pass forward with the previous pass or
movement
• Explore how to best use body shape and receiving angles in order to play forward.
Arrival activity Practice one
• For this 2v2 activity, set up an 8x8-yard area with • Create a 20x10-yard area with a halfway line for this
cones across the middle 3v2 drill
• Teams have their own half and one starts with the ball • The attackers have two players in one half and one in
• They pass it between themselves before passing the other
through the line of cones to their opponents • The defenders have one screening on halfway with
• They score a point if the ball goes beyond the end line. the other pressing the attackers
• The attackers combine to beat the press and pass to
their teammate in the other half
9
Practice one – continued Practice two
• Once the ball has made it to the attacking player in • This activity is like table football
the other half, the defender on the line can go and • Create a pitch that’s split into six rows with a goal at
press, while the other defender replaces them on the both ends
line • Players are assigned a row and locked into them
• An attacker then goes into the other half to create a • The aim is to work the ball through the rows to get it to
2v1 and the practice repeats the forward who tries to score
10
Week five: combinaton play to attack
This session will help players:
• play progressive, forward passes
• consider weight and direction of pass to create goal scoring opportunities.
Coaching points
• Get your players to consider techniques and the weight of pass.
• Support players to have a positive first touch to help the next move.
• Whole-part-whole session allows for players to work on key areas, so keep an eye out in the first section for what they
may need to work on in the technical practice
Arrival activity Practice one
• Create a 30x20-yard pitch with a ten-yard marked • Using cones, place loads of ‘gates’ around an area
area at each end called the ‘set-up zone’ • Vary the size and angle of the gates
• Put a goal at the end of each zone • Split players into pairs or threes
• In this small-sided game, teams combine to work the • Challenge them to pass through the gates to a team-
ball into the zone they’re attacking mate
• When in here, players are unopposed as they pass to • Assign a scoring system to the gates or give each
a teammate to score team ‘home gates’ to protect from other teams
11
Practice two
• Return to the original practice
• Progress it by adding goalkeepers and allowing de-
fenders in the set-up zones
• You can even introduce the offside rule
12
Week six: passing to score festival
This session will help players:
• work back through activities from the previous weeks and add competition for positive
execution of skills/ tactics
• compete to gain points towards a cumulative total.
Coaching points
• Remember we are wanting players to develop as well as perform in competition.
• Don’t be afraid to support, however find a balance to allow them to demonstrate their understanding and prob-
lem-solving abilities
• Don’t be afraid to adapt with games you have used over the weeks that the players have liked, just remember the
focus of the sessions.
Arrival activity Practice one
• For this 2v2 activity, set up an 8x8-yard area with • Set up multiple pitches with a goal at each end for 2v2
cones across the middle games
• Teams have their own half and one starts with the ball • Make games last two minutes
• They pass it between themselves before passing • To add competition, and get players taking on different
through the line of cones to their opponents teams, you could move teams up and down pitches
• They score a point if the ball goes beyond the end line depending on who wins their match
13
Practice two Practice three
• Set up a 20x20-yard area with a small square in each • Put a goal at the end of each zone
corner • In this small-sided game, teams combine to work the
• Create four teams ball into the zone they’re attacking
• Three teams attack and one team defends • When in here, players need to pass to a teammate to
• The attacking teams have a ball each score. Add goalkeepers to increase the challenge
• Attackers score a point each time they reach a square
• They lose their points every time the ball goes out or
the defenders gain possession
14
