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U10 · Passing block · Week 2 of 6 · Add opposition
Passing under pressure
Add defenders to the passing. Start with Ten Passes to start, a square with a defender, finish in a match.
- Look upCheck where the defender is before the ball arrives.
- Away from the defenderPass to the side the defender is not on.
- Show for itWithout the ball, stand where the passer can see you.
The session in five lines
ArriveTen Passes while you set up (8 min)
Square with a defender4 v 1, then 4 v 2. Swap when the defender wins it. (12 min)
Streak challenge4 v 1. What is your longest streak? (8 min)
4 v 2Defenders swap in when they win the ball. (12 min)
Match with conditionsFive passes before a shot counts. (15 min)
812812155
Minutes per stage. The last block is the conditioned game or the closing game. The dashed block is for changeovers and water.
Kit
4 conesPlus 2 goals. Use small goals, or two cones for each goal. 2 ballsOne per square. Plus the match ball. BibsTwo colours for the two teams. Plus one for a defender.
Different numbers?
| Players | Squares | Who plays |
|---|
| 6 | 1 | 4 passers, 2 defenders |
| 7 | 1 | 4 v 2, one waiting to swap in |
| 8 | 1 | 4 v 2, two waiting to swap in |
| 9 | 2 | 4 v 1 in one square, 3 v 1 in the other |
| 10 | 2 | 4 v 1 in each |
| 11 | 2 | 4 v 2 and 4 v 1 |
| 12 | 2 | 4 v 2 in each |
Nine or more? Use two squares, which needs 8 cones and 2 balls. Nobody waits for long, because a defender who wins the ball swaps with the passer who lost it. In the streak challenge each square keeps its own best.
1Arrive
Ten Passes while you set up
8 min
KitA ballBibs, two coloursCones for a square
As children arrive, groups of six split into two teams of three. Count consecutive passes, and the first to ten wins. Opponents try to intercept.
While the children play, set up the area for the next game.
Ask: Who counted out loud?
2Square with a defender
Technical drill · 4 v 1, then 4 v 2
12 min
Kit4 conesA ball
Set four cones in a square about 8 metres across. A passer stands on each cone and a defender stands in the middle. Passers keep the ball by passing across or round the square. If the defender wins or touches the ball, they swap places with the player who lost it.
Start with one defender. Once the passers are playing away from the defender, add a second.
Play away from the defenderDon't add the second defender until most passes go to the side the defender is not on.
Coaching points
- Look up
- Check where the defender is before the ball arrives.
- Away from the defender
- Pass to the side the defender is not on.
- Show for it
- Without the ball, stand where the passer can see you.
Ask: Which side is the defender on?
3Streak challenge
4 v 1 · longest streak of passes
8 min
KitThe same 4 conesA ball per squareOne bib for the defender
Passers keep the ball in the square against one defender. Count the passes out loud. When the defender wins or touches the ball, the streak ends, the defender swaps with the passer who lost it, and a new streak starts. Tap +1 for each pass and Lost it when the streak ends. The board remembers your best.
Play for about eight minutes. Ask the group to beat its own best streak.
Keep calling the same three points: look up, away from the defender, show for it.
Ask: Where is the free player?
44 v 2
Defenders swap when they win it
12 min
KitThe same 4 conesA ball per squareBibs for defenders
Play 4 v 2 in the square. Passers score a point for every five passes in a row. Defenders score a point each time they win the ball, then swap in for the player who lost it. Keep it moving so nobody stands around.
Keep calling the same three points: look up, away from the defender, show for it.
Ask: When is it safe to pass across the middle?
5Match with conditions
Five passes before a shot
15 min
Under 5 passes: no goal5 or more: goal
KitMatch ballBibs, two colours2 goals
Move into a match and play for 15 minutes. A team must make five passes before a shot counts. A shot before that does not count and the ball goes back to the goalkeeper. Pressure from the defenders is real, so passers have to find the free player.
Coaching points throughout: look up, away from the defender, show for it.
Ask: What can you see?
Go deeper
Optional. The detail behind the three coaching points, for when you want more. Draft 1: starting points for a coach to adjust, not rules.
Look before you receive
Know where the defenders, teammates and space are before the ball arrives.
What good looks like
- Scan teammates and opponents before the ball arrives, ideally twice.
- Check your shoulder on the side the pressure is coming from.
- Decide the next action before the ball arrives.
If you see this, try this
- Scans too late to use itStart the scan as the ball is on its way.
- Scans, but the body is square to the passerOpen the body so you can see the whole pitch.
More detail
- FA guidance for 7 to 11s: scan before receiving, looking at teammates and opponents.
Ask the players
- What did you see before you received it?
Change it
Easier: Fewer players, more space.
Harder: More defenders, less time.
Passing: weight and direction
The pass should arrive at a speed the receiver can control, on the side away from pressure.
Most useful in stage 2.
What good looks like
- Weight: the receiver can control it without breaking stride.
- Direction: to the receiver's back foot, the foot furthest from you, on the side away from the nearest defender.
- Move the ball out of your feet first, to create the angle for a longer pass.
If you see this, try this
- Too hard, and the receiver's touch bounces awaySofter, or earlier, so the receiver is not rushed.
- Too soft, and a defender steps inFirmer, and look at the defender before you pass.
More detail
- Longer passes need a bigger swing and a good strike through the middle of the ball. They also need a good first touch to match.
- Scan before the ball arrives, then choose the pass. There is often more than one good answer.
Ask the players
- Why that pass? What else was on?
Change it
Easier: More space and time on the ball.
Harder: Reduce the space, or add a defender who tries to intercept.
Being an option
Give the player with the ball a pass to play and a clear line.
What good looks like
- Offers a forward option and a safe option, so the passer has two choices.
- Moves when the ball moves, so the shape stays connected.
- Time the movement: arrive as the passer is ready, not before.
If you see this, try this
- Everyone stands in a straight lineStagger the players, so each pass has an angle.
- The support is too close to the ball and the defender covers bothSpread out so one defender cannot cover two options.
More detail
- The best support gives the passer an angle past the nearest defender.
- Wide players stay wide to stretch the defence; others offer depth and cover.
Ask the players
- What options did the passer have?
Change it
Easier: More players in support.
Harder: Fewer players in support, or a defender who presses.