Passing
Square Passing 2: Pass and Move to the Open Corner
Make the run after the pass automatic: the passer leaves on the pass, gets round his cone and arrives in the open corner in time to receive, so the ball never waits.
Duration
10 min
Total drill time
Players
3
Recommended
Pitch
20 × 20 m
Setup space
Level
Beginner
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a square of four cones 10 metres a side. Three players stand just outside three of the cones; the fourth corner is open. The player on the ball passes along the side to the next cone, then runs round the outside of his own cone and up the side behind him to the open corner. The receiver meets the ball just outside his cone, takes his first touch round the outside of it and passes on along the next side with his second, then makes the same run. The ball goes round one way and the runs go the other, so every pass is played into a corner someone has just filled. Go one way for a few minutes, then reverse.
Setup time: 1 min
Tactical breakdown
Patterns die at the corners. If the run after the pass starts when the ball arrives instead of when it leaves, the next corner is still empty, the receiver has nobody to play to and the whole thing stops. Four corners with three players makes that impossible to hide: one corner is always open, and the man who just passed is the one who has to fill it.
The ball goes round the square one way and the players run the other. After his pass the passer goes round the outside of his own cone and up the side behind him into the open corner, which is where the ball arrives two passes after his own. He has exactly that long to get there. Leave on the pass and he arrives with time to half-turn; leave late and the ball beats him.
Receiving is the same as every square: meet the ball just outside the cone, take the first touch round the outside of it and pass with the second. That keeps the ball on the outside of the square, away from the runner coming the other way.
Ten metres is a tight square, and it is meant to be. With three players and short sides the cycle is quick, and the run is the hard part, not the pass. If the group cannot get round in time, check when the run starts before changing anything: it is usually late, not slow. If it still does not work, allow a third touch so the ball waits for the runner.
How to run this drill
- Mark a 10 metre square. Four cones 10 metres apart. Three players, each just outside a cone. The fourth corner is left open.
- Pass along the side. The player on the ball passes along the ground to the next cone. The receiver meets it outside his cone and takes his first touch round the outside of it.
- Run round your cone to the open corner. The moment he has passed, the passer runs round the outside of his own cone and up the side behind him into the open corner.
- Keep it going, then reverse. Every receiver passes on with his second touch and makes the same run. The ball goes one way and the runs the other. Reverse after a few minutes.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Run the moment the ball leaves your foot, not when it arrives
- Round the outside of your own cone, never across the square
- Meet the ball outside the cone and take it round in one touch
- Pass with the second touch, weighted for the man arriving
- Arrive in the open corner already half-turned to the ball
Common mistakes
- Starting the run after the ball arrives, so the open corner is still empty
- Cutting across the square instead of round the cone
- Receiving behind the cone, so the next pass has to go round it
- Watching the pass instead of moving
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- One touch: play it on first time from outside the cone
- Speed the cycle up: the next pass goes as soon as the corner is filled
- Reverse the direction so the other foot receives
Regressions
- Allow a third touch, so the ball waits and the runner gets there
- The next pass only goes once the open corner is filled
- Walk the runs through once without a ball
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