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Home/Training Drills/Passing Drills/Playing Into the Runner
PassingIntermediate

Playing Into the Runner

Weight a pass into the runner's path. Time the release to the run, play into the space ahead, and let the runner take it in stride and play forward without breaking stride.

Create your own drill
Live animationPAS
Duration
10 min
Total drill time
Players
3
Recommended
Pitch
44 × 30 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format

Setup & instructions

The passer plays into the space ahead of a runner, who takes it in stride and plays forward to a target. Emphasise the weight of the pass into the path and the timing of the release to the run. Vary the angle and speed of the run. Play both directions and rotate the roles.

Setup time: 1 min

Tactical breakdown

Weight is the only quality of a pass that depends on somebody else. Accuracy and technique belong entirely to the passer, but a ball played into space is correctly weighted only in relation to how fast a particular teammate is running, which makes it the one passing skill that cannot be practised in isolation from the person receiving it.

That reframing is worth giving to players, because it changes who is responsible when it goes wrong. A pass that a quick striker would have reached is an overhit pass to a slower one. The passer has to know his runner, and the pair have to build the relationship through repetition rather than through instruction.

Into the path rather than to the feet is the instruction, and the reason is that a pass to the feet stops a runner who was travelling. All the advantage generated by the run is discarded in the moment he has to check, and a defender who was beaten is level again.

Timing the release is the part that separates this from a straightforward pass. Too early and the runner is still marked and possibly offside. Too late and the covering defender has adjusted and the space has closed. The cue is the runner's first two strides, not the moment he calls.

The honest note is that this pass is the most common source of frustration between teammates in youth football, because both players blame the other. Saying out loud that the responsibility is shared, and coaching them as a pair, defuses more arguments than any technical correction.

How to run this drill

  1. Play into the space ahead, not to feet. A ball to the feet stops a runner who was travelling, which throws away every yard the run had just gained.
  2. Time the release to the first strides. The cue is the runner's movement, not his call. Too early leaves him marked or offside, too late and the cover has closed the space.
  3. Weight it to this runner's speed. The same pass is perfect for a quick player and overhit for a slower one. The passer has to know who he is playing to.
  4. Let the runner take it in stride. If he has to break stride to reach it, the pass was wrong regardless of whether possession was kept.
  5. Rehearse pairs together, not individuals. This is the one passing skill defined by a relationship. Rotating partners every rep prevents the calibration it depends on.
  6. Say out loud that the blame is shared. Both players instinctively blame the other. Naming it as a joint responsibility settles more arguments than any technical fix.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Play into the space ahead, not to feet
  • Time the release to the run, not too early or late
  • Weight it so it can be taken in stride at speed
  • Runner takes the first touch forward, keeps moving
  • Communicate: eye contact or a call to trigger it

Common mistakes

  • Passing to feet, stopping the runner
  • Overhitting into space the runner cannot reach
  • Releasing too early or too late for the run
  • Runner checking back instead of running onto it

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • Add a defender to read the pass
  • First-time play forward from the runner
  • Longer, driven passes into the run

Regressions

  • Set the run at a fixed pace to groove the weight
  • Shorter passes to start
  • Walk the timing of the release first
Equipment
Cones×2
Tactical principles
playing into the runnerpassing into spaceweight of passpass into the pathtiming the releasetaking it in stridethrough ball drillu10 passing drillpassing to feet or spacerunner timing
Audience
U9-U10

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