16. Pass Through Traffic
How the Drill Works:
Two attackers attempt to pass the ball around a defender between them.
Purpose:
Improve 2v1 situations. Players’ develop their ability to move with the ball to open passing lanes to their partner.
Diagram:
Setup:
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- Set up two, eight-yard wide gates, 15-yards apart from each other for every group of three players.
- Have the players divide into groups of three with one soccer ball and position themselves at a setup.
- One player in each group starts between one of the two gates while the third player starts between the two gates.
- Complete three, five-minute games. Add more games or time as needed.
Instructions:
- The two players standing in the gates attempt to pass the ball to each other without the defending winning the ball.
- The defender is free to move anywhere inside the two gates but can not tackle or cross the gate lines.
- If the defender intercepts the pass, they rotate with the gate player who last touched the soccer ball and the next repetition begins.
- Passers are free to take as many touches as they would like and can move freely between their assigned gate with or without the ball.
- Complete three, five-minute rounds.
Variations:
Rotation – Instead of rotating players after a loss of possession, have them rotate every two- minutes. See which pair of players can complete the most passes.
Touch limit – Limit the number of touches the gate players can take. Gate players have three or two touches depending on the skill level.
Coaching Points:
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- Vary the gate size and distance between the gates depending on the players’ skill level. The larger the gates and space the easier it should be for the two gate players.
- Encourage the players to be creative and decisive when beating the defender. Players should use fakes and changes of direction to create openings.
- Teach the gate player without the ball to constantly move to create a passing angle for the player on the ball.
- Have the players count their passes to see how many in a row they can get!
- Challenge the defenders to move with the gate players and win the ball back as soon as they can!
