Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Basic Passing and Receiving Concepts - U8

Stationary Passing with Partner

This is a series of drills designed to introduce the very basic passing and receiving concepts.

Stationary Passing with Partner (~20 minutes)

The concepts we introduce in the first drill are -

•  The correct passing technique: 
  • Inside of the passing foot. 
  • Planted foot with toes pointed toward the player we want to pass to.
  • Using the appropriate power for the distance of pass
• The correct receiving techniques
  • Outside of the foot, inside of the foot
  • Setting ourselves up to make the pass
  • Being ready to receive the pass

Split your players into pairs and have them stand 5-10 yards apart with a cone place directly in front of them. The players are then to pass the ball to one another, receiving the ball on one side and then passing it from the other side of the cone (ex - They receive on the left side of the cone and then pass from the right side of the cone.)

There are 4 different combinations of type of receiving touch to type of pass you can have your players work on

• Outside of right foot touch into a right footed pass (pass on right, receive on left)
• Outside of left foot touch into a left footed pass (pass on left, receive on right)
• Inside of left foot into a right footed pass (pass on right, receive on left)
• Inside of right foot into a left footed pass (pass on left, receive on right)

Introduce each possible combination and then allow the players ~3 minutes to practice each one. Take time to correct bad habits and reinforce the points of emphasis during and between each round.

Things to emphasize:

• Correct form (including using the correct surfaces of the foot)
• Focusing on making sure the pass is going to our teammate
• Using the appropriate power for the distance of pass
• Being on our toes to receive the ball
• Having a first touch that sets us up for a successful pass 
• A small emphasis on moving after the pass, back into position*

Once your players demonstrate a basic proficiency at the above then begin to encourage tempo. However, more important than speed at this age is that the players are forming the correct habits. So make sure to constantly encourage them to focus first on the above points before we worry about doing it at speed.
(*Note - This is a very small emphasis in this drill. However it is good to point out and introduce as a basic concept to sort of imbed in the player's head subconsciously so they are more inclined to move after passing.)

Rondos

Rondos (15-20 minutes)

After we have warmed up the basic principals of passing and receiving, and then further introduced the concept of moving after we pass and changing the direction with our receiving touch, we can now introduce pressure and mimic real game scenario.

Rondos (or keep-away/monkey in the middle) are the perfect way to get your players more touches and put into action the concepts they learned in stationary passing and the pass and move box whilst introducing (or reintroducing) the idea of finding your own space. We are taking the two dimensional concept of passing and receiving and adding the spatial element which is an ever present in the game.

Split your team into groups of 4 or 5 and put them in a coned off area 12X12 yards - 15X15 yards

Designate one player to be the defender whilst the other players are told to keep the ball away from the defender by passing it to their other teammates. Everyone is allowed to move freely within the box.

If a player makes a bad pass, they go into the middle and become the defender.

If a player loses the ball to the defender, they go into the middle and become the defender.

If a player takes a bad touch and the defender subsequently gets the ball, they go into the middle.

Allow the players to referee their own rondos, jumping only when needed. This is a great opportunity to give the players ownership in what they're doing and/or introduce the democratic process.

Observe the rondos and step in to coach and re-emphasized the concepts they learned earlier in the session. Stepping in while there is a switch in defenders is a great time to give a little individual input or coach the entire Rondo.

Again, the things to emphasize:

Finding our own space

Correct form (including using the correct surfaces of the foot)

Focusing on making sure the pass is going to our teammate

Using the appropriate power for the distance of pass

Being on our toes to receive the ball

Moving into a position where our teammate can successfully pass us the ball

Looking over our shoulder to see where our teammate is/where the barrier or gate is

Having a first touch that sets us up for a successful pass

Having a first touch that sets us up to avoid the barrier/pass through the gate

Moving immediately after the pass

Paying attention when we don't have the ball so we are ready when we need to be

Finding our own space

For the defending player, encourage them to pressure the ball to force mistakes and to try to react and/or predict the pass so they can try to intercept. Though we are more focused on the players being able to successfully pass this is a great opportunity for players to individually figure out defending.