Passing
Triangle Passing 3: Third Man, Set and Go Long
Alternate a short set and a long pass: set the ball into a third player's path, and play the long ball first time from the set into the next player's feet.
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
4
Recommended
Pitch
30 × 26 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a triangle of three cones 15 metres a side. One player stands just behind each cone and the fourth is the runner, jogging up the outside of a side towards the player on the ball. The player on a cone receives the long ball just outside his cone and sets it short, about four metres back down the outside of the side, into the runner's path. The runner plays it first time long across the triangle to the player on the third cone, then takes over the cone the set came from. The setter goes round the outside of his own cone and jogs up the next side to become the next runner, ready for the next set. Set, long, set, long, all the way round.
Setup time: 1 min
Tactical breakdown
Changing the length of the pass is the whole point here. A short set, then a long ball, then a short set again: the rhythm of a team that plays into a midfielder so a third player can switch it.
The ball goes from the long passer to the player on a cone, from him to a runner, and from the runner long across the triangle. The runner is the third man. He was never part of the first pass, so his job is to arrive at exactly the right moment, coming up the outside of the side so the set meets him in stride and he can strike it first time.
The player on the cone sets the tempo. He meets the long ball just outside his cone, not behind it, and his set goes about four metres back down the side into the runner's path. Too short and the runner has to check, too long and he has to chase it. A good set is soft enough to control the pace and firm enough that the long ball can be hit straight off it.
Four players on three cones means one is always moving. The runner takes over the cone the set came from, and the setter goes round the outside of his own cone and up the next side to be the next runner. Nobody stands for more than a couple of passes, so the drill is a steady physical load as well as a passing one. Reverse it after a few minutes so the set and the long ball come off the other foot.
How to run this drill
- Mark a 15 metre triangle. Three cones 15 metres apart, a player just behind each and a fourth player jogging up the outside of a side as the runner.
- Receive outside the cone and set it. The player on the ball meets the long pass just outside his cone and sets it about four metres back down the side, into the runner's path.
- Go long first time. The runner arrives on the set and plays it first time long across the triangle to the player on the third cone.
- Rotate round the triangle. The runner takes over the cone the set came from. The setter goes round the outside of his cone and up the next side to be the next runner.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Meet the long ball outside your cone, on the line it comes along
- Set it into the runner's path with a soft, firm touch, not to where he is
- The runner times his arrival so he can play the long ball first time
- Strike the long ball firm and along the ground to the receiver's front foot
- The setter goes round the outside of his cone straight away, he is the next runner
Common mistakes
- The setter waiting behind his cone for the long ball
- Setting it to the runner's feet, so he has to stop before the long pass
- The runner arriving too early and having to check and wait
- The setter watching his pass instead of going round his cone
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- One touch for the setter: set it first time
- Reverse the direction so the long ball comes off the other foot
- Make the triangle 20 metres a side to lengthen the long pass
Regressions
- Let the runner take a touch before the long ball
- Shrink the triangle to 12 metres a side
- Walk the rotation through once so everyone knows where to go next
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