Passing
Diamond Passing Rotation with a Central Pivot
Play quick one-touch combinations through a central pivot: receive on the half turn, set it into a teammate's run, and time every movement so the ball arrives as the player does.
Duration
15 min
Total drill time
Players
6
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Advanced
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format
Setup & instructions
Set five mannequins in a diamond about 27 metres across: one at the bottom, one at the top, one on each side and one in the middle. Put a player on each station with the starter at the bottom on the ball and a sixth player queued behind him. Every pass is first time. The starter plays into the pivot standing in front of the middle mannequin and runs round his own mannequin; the pivot lays it wide into that run. The starter finds the right-hand player, who has dropped off his station to receive. He plays it back inside to the pivot, who has spun out to the right, then runs round the outside of his mannequin to get the pivot's return. He plays it up to the top player coming off his station, who lays it down for the pivot arriving in the middle. The pivot switches it long to the left-hand player, who plays it up into the top player now running round the back of his mannequin, and the top player plays it all the way back to the start, where the next man is waiting. Rotate one station each rep: bottom to right, right to top, top to the middle, middle to the left, and left back to the queue.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
Most diamond patterns move the ball round the outside. This one keeps going back through the middle. The pivot gets the ball three times in every rep, and each time he has to do something different with it: lay it wide into a run, play it on to the next station, and switch it long to the far side. That is the job a deep midfielder does in a game, and the mannequins make sure he does it with something behind him.
Everything is played first time, so the drill is really about timing. A runner who arrives early has to wait, and one who arrives late makes the passer take a touch. Both break the rhythm, and everyone sees it. The aim is for each player to be moving onto the ball's line just as it arrives.
The wide players and the top player practise coming off a station to receive and then spinning round a mannequin to get it back. That movement creates the angle for the next pass, and it is the same movement that gets a full back or a winger free in a real game.
The rotation keeps all six players busy and gives everyone every role. A player starts at the bottom, then works the right side, then the top, then the middle, then the left, and joins the queue again. Over a few rounds every player has been the pivot and has played the long switch.
When it is working, the ball never stops, and the next rep starts the moment the last pass reaches the bottom.
How to run this drill
- Set out five mannequins in a diamond. About 27 metres across: one at the bottom, one at the top, one on each side and one in the middle. A player on each station, the starter at the bottom on the ball and the next player queued behind him.
- Play into the pivot and take the lay-off. The starter plays into the pivot and runs round his own mannequin. The pivot lays it first time into that run, wide of the bottom station.
- Work it through the right side. The starter finds the right-hand player dropping off his station. He plays it back inside to the pivot, who has spun out to the right, then runs round the outside of his mannequin to get the return.
- Up to the top and back through the middle. The right-hand player plays it up to the top player coming off his station, who lays it down first time for the pivot arriving in the middle.
- Switch it long and finish the rep. The pivot switches it to the left-hand player, who plays it up to the top player running round the back of his mannequin. The top player plays it back to the start, where the next player plays in first time.
- Rotate one station each rep. Bottom to right, right to top, top to the middle, middle to the left, and left back to the queue. Follow your pass to your next station straight away.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Arrive on the ball's line as it arrives, so every pass can be played first time
- The pivot opens his body before the ball comes, so he can see the next pass
- Lay-offs go into the runner's path, a yard in front of him, never to where he stood
- Wide players drop off the station to receive, then spin out round the outside
- Weight the long switch to the left so it can be played on first time
- Follow your pass into the next station straight away, the next rep starts as soon as the ball is back
Common mistakes
- Runners setting off late, so the receiver has to stop the ball and the rhythm breaks
- The pivot receiving square on, so his lay-off has to come back the way it arrived
- Wide players receiving on their station instead of dropping to make an angle
- Passes played to feet when the receiver is running, which kills his momentum
- Players forgetting the rotation and standing at the station they just played from
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Start a second ball from the bottom as soon as the first reaches the top player
- Reverse the pattern so it runs up the left first
- Swap one mannequin for a passive defender who can step into a passing lane
- Weak foot only for a whole round
Regressions
- Allow two touches on the pivot's receives
- Shrink the diamond to about 20 metres across
- Walk the pattern through without the ball until the runs are timed
- Leave out the rotation and keep players on the same station for a round
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