Passing
Triangle Passing 4: Third Man Rotation
Find the third man arriving from across the triangle with a first-time lay-off, then get it back on the spin and move it on, all one touch.
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
5
Recommended
Pitch
28 × 24 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a triangle of three cones 15 metres a side. One player stands just behind each cone, one is on the ball and the fifth is the runner, starting in the middle of the triangle. The player on the ball plays it into the next cone. The player there steps across to meet it just outside his cone and lays it off first time to the runner, who arrives just inside the cone as the ball does. As the lay-off goes, the player on the cone spins out round the outside of it and up the next side; the runner returns it first time into his stride, and he plays it first time on to the next cone. The runner goes round behind the cone and takes it over, and the player who started the move cuts straight across the middle of the triangle to be the runner at the next cone. Every pass is one touch.
Setup time: 1 min
Tactical breakdown
The runner who arrives from across the triangle is the part most groups get wrong. He is the third man: the pass goes into the player on the cone, and that player finds someone who was not involved in the first pass. If the runner arrives early he stands and waits, and the lay-off goes to a static player. If he arrives late the player on the cone has nobody to set it to. The run through the middle has to finish just inside the cone at the moment the ball gets there.
The player on the cone has two jobs in quick succession. He steps across to meet the pass just outside his cone and lays it off first time, then spins out round the outside of the cone and up the next side. The runner returns the ball into that spin, so the player who set it collects it in his stride and plays it first time on to the next cone. Lay-off, spin, return, pass: four touches by three players in under two seconds.
Five players on three cones means two are always in transit. The runner goes round behind the cone and takes it over, and the player who started the move cuts straight across the middle to become the runner at the next cone. That cut is what keeps the rotation alive, and it is also the run that teaches the timing, because the ball is already on its way to the next cone while he crosses.
Keep it one touch throughout. Reverse the direction after a few minutes.
How to run this drill
- Set up the triangle and the runner. Three cones 15 metres apart, a player just behind each, one on the ball and the fifth in the middle of the triangle as the runner.
- Play into the next cone. The player on the ball passes into the next cone. The player there steps across to meet it just outside his cone.
- Lay it off to the runner. He lays it off first time to the runner, who arrives just inside the cone as the ball does, and spins out round the outside of the cone.
- Return it into the spin. The runner plays it first time into his stride, and he plays it first time on to the next cone.
- Take the cone and cut across. The runner takes over the cone. The player who started the move cuts across the middle to be the runner at the next cone.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- The runner times his run through the middle to arrive as the ball does
- Meet the pass outside the cone and lay it off with the inside of the foot, first time
- Spin out round the outside of the cone as soon as the lay-off is played
- The runner returns it into the space ahead of the spin, not to feet
- After the first pass, cut straight across the middle: you are the next runner
Common mistakes
- The runner arriving early and standing, so the lay-off goes to a static player
- Laying it off behind the runner instead of into his path
- Spinning late, so the return has to wait
- The passer forgetting to cut across and leaving the next cone without a runner
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Reverse the direction so the lay-off and the return come off the other foot
- Grow the triangle to 18 metres so the first pass is longer
- Add a passive defender in the middle who the runner has to arrive around
Regressions
- Two touches on the pass on to the next cone
- Shrink the triangle to 12 metres a side
- Walk the rotation through once without a ball
Explore more drills
LIBRARYReady to run this drill?
Save it to your private drills, then change the animation, adjust positions, swap equipment, or drop it into a session block. Or start from a blank pitch and build your own.