Football/Soccer Session (Academy Sessions): Passing & Receiving - Checking Shoulder

Passing & Receiving - Checking Shoulder (30 mins)

Set up details

* 5 players, 7 cones, 2 footballs

* 1 player in the middle with the other 4 players around the outside (players are numbered 1 to 5/white cones are spares) (2 footballs on the outside represented by red X)

* Ball starts with player 1 – he passes into player 2, after passing into centre player 1 will run to a free cone

* Player 2 will pass out to team mate without a ball (player 3 in diagram)

* Player 2 will then receive the next ball waiting (off player 4 in diagram)

* Rotate players every couple of minutes

To keep it simple for the players – if you are on the outside with a ball after you pass in you must move to a spare cone

Player in the middle after receiving you need to play out to a spare man and then move to receive the next ball (try to get them to stay centrally and adjust their body shape as they need to)

The challenge for the central player > check shoulder before receiving, if you have checked your shoulder you will be able to call out the name of the player you are going to play into

If you can check your shoulder and call out a name before receiving the ball you get 1 point, extra point if you can call out the name of both players without the ball (should get them looking in more than one direction) (another bonus 1 point for pass to feet). Total score after 1/2 minute?

Try to get the outside player to stay quiet so the central players don’t get an advantage.

Progressions….

* Add extra spare cones/ add an extra football/ add extra outside players

* If you’re an outside player after you have passed you now move to a new group, this will stop players memorising who is moving where within their group (think about the group you move to, we need to keep free cones in each group)

* Add a second player in the middle to reduce space and cause a bit more confusion (then add 1 defender)

* Scoring system still applies; they should all have bad necks after this!