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Home/Training Drills/Passing Drills/Three Balls, Same Pattern
PassingIntermediate

Three Balls, Same Pattern

Learn a fixed combination pattern and then perform every role within it. The rotation means nobody becomes the specialist finisher or the specialist setter, which is the usual failure of patterned drills.

Create your own drill
Live animationPAS
Duration
14 min
Total drill time
Players
6
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U13-U14
Any format

Setup & instructions

Set four poles in a diamond about twelve metres across, with a small target goal beyond it. Six players, three balls. The pattern is: a one-two, a six metre transfer to the next station, a short set, then a strike from around sixteen metres into the goal. Start the second ball once the first has reached the transfer, and the third once the second does. Everybody moves up one role as the balls run, so each player does each job.

Setup time: 2 min

Tactical breakdown

Patterned drills have an obvious weakness: players end up specialising. Whoever starts as the finisher does thirty finishes, whoever starts as the setter does thirty sets, and after twenty minutes the group has practised a pattern rather than the individual actions inside it.

Running three balls with the roles rotating fixes that without changing the setup. Each sequence moves everybody up one position, so across three balls a player has played the one-two, made the transfer, delivered the set, and taken the strike. The pattern is identical every time; only the person doing each job changes.

The technical value is that these four actions are genuinely different. The one-two return is cushioned and first time. The six metre transfer is struck and changes the angle of the attack. The set is under two metres and has to arrive on the correct foot. The strike is from sixteen. A player who only ever does one of them can look accomplished and still be missing three quarters of the sequence.

The practical difficulty is spacing the balls. Started too close together, two sequences arrive at the diamond at once and both collapse, and the group's instinct is then to slow everything down. The right answer is to start the second ball when the first reaches the transfer, which keeps the tempo high and the sequences separate. Getting that timing right is most of the coaching in the first few minutes.

How to run this drill

  1. Return the one-two first time. It is the opening action of the pattern and a controlling touch there delays everything that follows, including the two balls behind you.
  2. Make the transfer firm. The six metre pass is the one that changes the angle of the whole sequence. Rolled softly it arrives late and the set has to be rushed.
  3. Set it into the striking foot. Under two metres, so there is no margin. A set at the body costs a touch and the strike from sixteen metres is gone.
  4. Space the balls properly. Start the next one as the previous reaches the transfer. Closer than that and two sequences meet at the diamond and both fall apart.
  5. Rotate every time. The whole reason for three balls is that everybody does every job. Players will settle into a favourite role within minutes if nobody insists.
  6. Strike from where the pattern ends. Carrying the ball closer before shooting makes the finish easier and the pattern pointless. Sixteen metres is where the sequence puts you.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • Return the one-two first time and into the forward path
  • The six metre transfer is the pass that changes the angle: make it firm
  • The short set is under two metres and must be into the striking foot
  • Strike from sixteen metres, do not carry it closer to the goal
  • Keep the three balls spaced so the sequences do not overlap
  • Know your next role before your current one finishes

Common mistakes

  • Balls started too close together, so two sequences collide at the diamond
  • The short set played at the body rather than into the striking foot
  • Players staying in a favourite role instead of rotating
  • Carrying the ball toward the goal instead of striking from sixteen metres

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • One touch throughout except the strike
  • Reverse the rotation direction
  • Add a fourth ball, which leaves almost no gap between sequences

Regressions

  • One ball only until the five steps are automatic
  • Walk the pattern once so every role is understood
  • Move the target goal closer
Equipment
Goals×1
Poles×4
Tactical principles
passing pattern drillthree ball passing drillrotating roles drillone two passing drillu13 passing drilltechnical passing patterndiamond passing drillpassing and shooting drillfootball pattern of playcombination pattern drill
Audience
U13-U14

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