Passing
Square Passing 5: Pass and Follow, Two Balls
Keep a whole group moving and touching the ball: two balls in the square on one rhythm, every pass met outside the cone and followed to the back of the next line.
Duration
10 min
Total drill time
Players
8
Recommended
Pitch
30 × 30 m
Setup space
Level
Beginner
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U6-U8
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a square of four cones 15 metres a side and put two players at every cone, one behind the other, just outside it. A ball starts at one cone and at the cone opposite. Both balls go on the same beat: the front player passes along the side to the next cone and follows his pass to the back of that line. The front player there meets the ball just outside his cone, takes his first touch round the outside of it and plays on with his second, and the player behind him steps up. Both balls go round together, always on opposite sides of the square. Go one way for a few minutes, then reverse.
Setup time: 2 min
Tactical breakdown
The Ajax passing square is the pass and follow warm-up scaled up for a whole group: eight players, two at every cone, and two balls going round at once. With one ball and eight players most of them stand still. With two, played on the same beat from opposite cones, everyone is passing, receiving or following almost all the time.
The rhythm is the drill. Both balls are played at the same moment and arrive at the same moment, always on opposite sides of the square, so the two never meet. If one pair rushes or dawdles, two balls end up heading for one cone and the square jams. Call the beat out loud at first if you need to.
Every receiver is waiting at his cone when the ball arrives, never still on the move. He meets it just outside the cone, takes the first touch round the outside of it and passes on with his second, and the man behind him steps up to the front. The passer follows his pass outside the line of the ball and joins the back of the next line, which keeps two at every cone all the way round.
Start it at walking pace with one ball if the group is new to it, then add the second. Go one way for a few minutes, then reverse so the other foot does the receiving.
How to run this drill
- Two at every cone. Four cones in a 15 metre square, two players at each, one behind the other, just outside the cone. A ball at one cone and at the cone opposite.
- Both balls on the same beat. The two front players with a ball pass along the side to the next cone at the same moment, so the balls stay on opposite sides of the square.
- Meet it outside the cone. The front player at the next cone meets the ball outside it, takes his first touch round the outside and passes on with his second. The man behind steps up.
- Follow to the back of the line. Each passer follows his pass outside the line of the ball and joins the back of the line he passed to. Reverse the direction after a few minutes.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Pass on the beat, at the same moment as the other ball
- Meet the ball outside the cone, never wait behind it
- First touch round the outside of the cone, pass with the second
- Follow your pass outside the line of the ball to the back of the line
- Step up to the front as soon as the man ahead of you has gone
Common mistakes
- The two balls drifting out of time, so two passes arrive at one cone
- Following the pass on the inside of the square, through the other ball's line
- The man behind not stepping up, so the next receiver starts behind the cone
- Receiving flat-footed behind the cone
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- One touch: play it on first time from outside the cone
- Reverse the direction so the other foot does the work
- Add a one-two at every cone before the ball moves on
Regressions
- One ball first until the rotation is clear (Square Passing 1)
- Allow a third touch to settle the ball
- Grow the square to 20 metres so the follow runs have more room
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