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Home/Training Drills/Passing Drills/Up the Y, Carry It Back
PassingIntermediate

Up the Y, Carry It Back

Link a long pass, a very tight combination and a carry into one repeating sequence. The return leg is dribbled rather than passed, so players practise coming out of a combination with the ball at their feet.

Create your own drill
Live animationPAS
Duration
12 min
Total drill time
Players
6
Recommended
Pitch
Full Pitch
Setup space
Level
Intermediate
Skill required
Intensity
Medium
Physical demand
Age band
U11-U12
Any format

Setup & instructions

Set a Y about fifteen metres deep, two markers as the stem and two poles as the arms. Six players, three balls. Play eleven metres up the stem to an arm, exchange a very short one-two there, then carry the ball back down the stem to the start rather than passing it. Start the second and third balls once the first is at the arm, so all three are in motion. Alternate the arms and rotate roles regularly.

Setup time: 1 min

Tactical breakdown

Passing shapes almost always return the ball by passing it. The Y goes up, the Y comes back down, and every action in the exercise is a pass. That is fine as far as it goes, and it means a player never practises the most common thing that actually happens after a combination, which is coming away with the ball at his feet.

Carrying the return leg fixes that in one change. A player receives at the arm, plays a tight one-two, and then has to travel back down the stem with the ball, which means transitioning from a passing action to a dribbling one within a second. That switch is awkward the first few times and is the entire reason the drill is worth running.

The one-twos here are the shortest in this whole collection, around two metres out and back. At that range the exchange is almost a pair of touches rather than two passes, and it demands a very light first-time return. Players who are used to combining at eight or ten metres will hit the first few straight past their partner, and adjusting to that is a useful technical correction in itself.

Three balls is what keeps six players busy in a fifteen metre shape. It also introduces the only real logistical problem: sequences colliding at the stem, which is the shared part of the Y. Spacing the starts properly solves it, and the group learns quickly that the fix is timing rather than speed.

How to run this drill

  1. Keep the one-two at two metres. This is the tightest combination in the collection and that is deliberate. Widening it to five turns a demanding exchange into an ordinary pass.
  2. Return first time even at that range. Two metres tempts players to take a touch because it feels too close to play first time. The touch is what kills the tempo.
  3. Come away with the ball. The return leg is carried, not passed. Switching from a passing action to a dribbling one inside a second is the point of the whole drill.
  4. Push the carry and run. Dribbling it back under your feet is slow and defeats the purpose. Put the ball into the space ahead and travel after it.
  5. Space the three balls. The stem is shared by all three sequences. Start the next one when the previous reaches the arm, or they meet in the middle and both stop.
  6. Alternate the arms. Groups settle onto one side within a couple of minutes. Half the shape becomes scenery unless somebody keeps calling the other arm.

Coaching focus

FROM SESSION PLAN

Coaching points

  • The one-two at the arm is two metres, not five: keep it tight
  • Return it first time even at that distance
  • Come out of the combination with the ball, do not pass it back
  • Push the carry into space and run, do not dribble it under your feet
  • Keep the three balls spaced so sequences do not collide at the stem
  • Alternate the arms so both sides of the Y stay in use

Common mistakes

  • Playing the one-two too wide, which makes it an ordinary pass
  • Passing back down the stem instead of carrying, which removes the dribble
  • Balls colliding at the stem because they were started too close together
  • Using the same arm every time

Progressions & regressions

VARIATIONS

Progressions

  • One touch on the one-two
  • Add a turn at the arm before carrying back
  • Run a fourth ball, which leaves almost no gap

Regressions

  • Two balls instead of three
  • Pass the ball back down instead of carrying it
  • Widen the one-two to four metres
Equipment
Markers×2
Poles×2
Tactical principles
y passing drillpassing and dribbling drillone two drill footballu11 passing drillthree ball drillcarrying the ball drilly shape passingtechnical passing sessioncombination and carry drillfootball passing shapes
Audience
U11-U12

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