Small-Sided Passing Support And Combination Work Game

The following drill comes from the Soccer Awareness Training Center. Soccer Awareness Training Center provides unlimited access to Wayne Harrison's Soccer Awareness systems, training sessions, drills and more. Wayne's system helps develop world class youth soccer players and teams in a systematic and imaginative manner that guarantees performance at the highest level of competition. Whether you’re a beginning coach who needs help getting started or someone who wants to add some variety to their training sessions, the Soccer Awareness Training Center offers a wide variety of drills to choose from. Join Today


To score players can pass through the goal or dribble through it. The ball stays in play and movement off the ball to support the player in it to score becomes more important.

Using two wide positioned goals for each team to attack. This is designed to encourage players to spread out when they attack and switch play; changing direction if one route is blocked. Looking for quick transition and movement off the ball to create space but attacking the space when it is on to do so. The first thought of the player on the ball should still be “Can I run or pass the ball forward.”

Coaching Points:

  1. Creating Space – for yourself and your teammates.

  2. Decision – When, Where and How to pass the ball.

  3. Technique – The Quality of the pass (Accuracy, Weight, Angle).

  4. Support Positions of teammates (Angle, Distance and Communication). Supporting in front and behind

  5. Switching Play using width in attack, drawing defenders to one side of the field then switching the play quickly to attack the other open side to score. Here the ball is played to (3) from (1), the defending team is drawn towards defending their right side goal. The attacking team stay spread out and this situation shows how a pass back to (1) then quickly across to (2) can open up an attack to the other left side goal.

 

Download a printable pdf of this session and more defensive small-sided games in the Soccer Awareness Training Center.