Passing
Two-Ball Diamond Passing: Set, Switch and 1-2
Combine quickly through the middle: move straight after every pass to create a new supporting angle, play one-touch 1-2s and keep two balls moving at a high tempo.
Duration
15 min
Total drill time
Players
8
Recommended
Pitch
23 × 30 m
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U9-U10
Any format
Setup & instructions
Mark a diamond with four markers, about 30 metres from bottom to top and 22 metres across, and put a marker in the middle a few metres either side of the centre. There are two circuits, one starting at each end, with a ball each, and every pass is first time. In the bottom circuit the starter plays into the middle player standing by the lower centre marker, who sets it back. The starter switches it wide to the right-hand player. The middle player moves straight across to give a new angle and gets the ball from the wide player, then plays it back as the wide player runs up the line, a 1-2. The wide player finds the end player at the top. The top circuit does the same at the same time, turned round: top, wide left, bottom. Rotate one role each rep: the starter becomes the middle player, the middle player goes wide, the wide player follows his pass to the far end, and the end player starts the other circuit.
Setup time: 5 min
Tactical breakdown
The ball goes through the middle twice in every rep, and the second time is the point of the drill. After the first set, the middle player has to move straight away to offer a new angle to the wide player. If he stays where he set the ball, the wide player has no way back inside and the circuit stops.
That movement is what a midfielder does in a game: play, move, show again. The drill makes it a habit, because the ball arrives at the same moment the angle opens. Arrive early and you wait, arrive late and the wide player has to take a touch.
The 1-2 trains the other half of the habit. The wide player plays inside and runs up the line straight away, so the return lands in his stride, and he plays the far-end pass first time.
Running two circuits at once doubles the touches and adds a rhythm. Both balls move on the same beat, mirrored round the centre, so players have to keep their heads up and keep the tempo.
The rotation gives every player every role. A player starts, then plays in the middle, then wide, then follows his pass to the far end and starts the other circuit. Eight players come round in eight reps.
How to run this drill
- Mark out the diamond. Four markers about 30 metres from bottom to top and 22 metres across, plus two markers in the middle a few metres either side of the centre. A starter and an end player at each end, a middle player by each centre marker and a wide player on each side.
- Play in and take the set. The starter plays into the middle player, who sets it back first time into the starter's stride.
- Switch it wide and move for a new angle. The starter plays wide. The middle player moves straight across to give a new angle, and the wide player plays it in to him first time.
- Quick 1-2 and on to the far end. The middle player plays it back as the wide player runs up the line. The wide player finds the end player at the far end, first time.
- Run both circuits and rotate. The other circuit runs at the same time from the far end, turned round. Each rep the starter goes to the middle, the middle player goes wide, the wide player follows his pass to the far end and the end player starts the other circuit.
Coaching focus
FROM SESSION PLANCoaching points
- Move straight after you pass, never admire it
- Middle players open their body before the ball arrives so the set can go first time
- Set the ball into the starter's stride, slightly to the side he plays wide
- Create the new angle early, so the wide player can play in without a touch
- Wide players time the run up the line to arrive as the return is played
- Keep both circuits on the same beat so the balls never meet in the middle
Common mistakes
- The middle player staying where he set the ball, so the wide player has no angle back inside
- Sets played straight back at the starter's feet instead of into his stride
- Wide players setting off late for the 1-2, so the return is played behind them
- The two circuits drifting out of time, so balls cross in the middle
- Players forgetting the rotation and walking back to the role they just played
Progressions & regressions
VARIATIONSProgressions
- Weak foot only for a whole round
- Add a passive defender in the middle who can step into one passing lane
- Finish the far-end pass into a mini goal before the next rep starts
- Shrink the diamond to tighten the angles and raise the tempo
Regressions
- Run one circuit at a time with one ball
- Allow two touches for the middle player
- Grow the diamond so every pass has more time
- Keep players in the same role for a round before adding the rotation
Explore more drills
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