Football Playing Between the Lines Drills: 6 Games to Find the Pocket and Play Forward

Quick answer: Playing between the lines means receiving the ball in the pocket of space behind the other team’s midfield and in front of their defence. Scan before the ball arrives, check away and come short into the pocket, open your body on the half-turn, and play forward first time. These six games train exactly that: find the pocket, face forward, break the line.

Suitable for: U12–U18

Most teams play around the other team. They pass sideways, they go wide, and they never get a player facing forward between the lines. The defence stays set, and the attack runs out of ideas.

The pocket is the strip of grass the defence leaves open. It sits between their midfield line and their defensive line, usually in a half-space. A player who receives there, side-on and already facing forward, turns a sideways move into a line-breaking one in a single touch.

Coaches in the US teach the same moment as soccer drills for receiving between the lines, and the habit is identical: picture first, body open, first touch forward. These six football playing between the lines drills build the habit in stages: the FIFA passing activation, the FIFA breaking-lines circuit, the pocket rondo, the half-space game, the around-to-through decision, and a full game that only rewards a pass through the pocket.

Session snapshot

• Players: 8–18 (threes and fours for Drills 1–2, 8–12 for Drills 3–5, two teams for Drill 6)
• Area: 20 x 15 yards for Drills 1–2, 30 x 20 yards for Drill 3, 40 x 30 yards for Drills 4–5, 50 x 35 yards for Drill 6
• Duration: 60 minutes (20-minute version: Drills 1 and 2 only)
• Focus: Scanning, checking away, open body shape, back-foot receive, split passes, half-space pockets
• Equipment: 10–12 balls, 16 cones, 4 mannequins or poles, bibs, 2 full goals, 4 mini-goals
• Age: U12–U18 (see age adaptations)

The one rule: face forward in the pocket

A receive between the lines is decided before the ball arrives. The scan finds the pocket, the check creates it, and the open body keeps it.

• Scan twice. Look over one shoulder as the passer shapes to play, and again as the ball travels. The second look catches a defender stepping up.
• Check away, then come short. Take two steps away from the pocket to drag the marker, then dart back into it as the ball is played. Arrive as the ball arrives, never early.
• Open to 45 degrees. Hips and chest face a touchline, not the passer and not the goal. From side-on, the ball and the space ahead stay in view at once.
• Receive on the back foot. The foot furthest from the passer takes the ball across the body. The touch moves forward, into space, in the same movement as the turn.
• Play forward or set it back. If the space behind is open, turn and play forward. If a defender is tight, set the ball back first time and spin away. Never stop the ball dead facing your own goal.

If your players only stare at the ball, fix the scan first with these soccer scanning drills; the pocket below only opens when the picture is taken before the ball arrives.

Drill 1 — The FIFA In-Between Activation

The unopposed start, based on the FIFA Training Centre passing activation for playing and receiving in-between opponents: drift between two mannequins, scan, receive on the back foot, and play forward.

Setup:

• Area 20 x 15 yards, with two mannequins 8 yards apart marking the two defenders.
• A passer at each end, 15 yards apart, and one receiver working between the mannequins.
• Balls with the passers, and a 3-yard target gate beyond the far passer.

How to Play:

1. The receiver starts behind the near mannequin and scans over both shoulders.
2. The receiver checks away from the pocket, then darts between the two mannequins as the pass is played.
3. The near passer plays a firm pass to the receiver’s back foot.
4. The receiver lets the ball run across their body, opens side-on, and turns away from the mannequins.
5. The receiver plays a forward pass through the target gate, then jogs back and repeats from the other side.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Blind side, back foot!” If the receiver stands in front of a mannequin facing the passer, stop the rep. The pocket is behind the defender’s shoulder, not in front of them.

Progressions: The receiver must feint before checking in, then the passers may play a difficult, bouncing pass that must still be controlled inside the pocket.

Drill 2 — The FIFA Breaking-Lines Circuit

The circuit, based on the FIFA Training Centre breaking-lines session: receive in a 5 x 5 yard square, drift in and out of the space between the lines, and play out the other side on the move.

Setup:

• Three stations 15 yards apart: Station 1 is two cones 5 yards apart, Station 2 is a 5 x 5 yard square, Station 3 is two cones with a cone to dribble around.
• One player at each station, with balls at Station 1, and a second circuit beside it for a race.
• A shadow presser starts behind the Station 2 player and may step in on every second rep.

How to Play:

1. The Station 1 player passes firmly to the Station 2 player as they drift into the square.
2. The Station 2 player scans, opens side-on, and receives on the turn inside the square.
3. The Station 2 player takes a good first touch forward and plays to Station 3 in one or two touches.
4. The Station 3 player receives, dribbles around the cone, and plays back into Station 2.
5. The Station 2 player receives again, turns, and plays back to Station 1, and all three players rotate.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Drift in, drift out!” A player who waits inside the square is marked. The movement in and out of the pocket is what creates the passing lane.

Progressions: The Station 2 player performs a feint before receiving, then receives on the move at the far end of the square, so the turn happens at full speed.

Drill 3 — The Pocket Rondo

The pressure test. The pocket player only scores by receiving between the two lines and playing forward, not by keeping the ball safe.

Setup:

• A 30 x 20 yard area split into three horizontal zones: build-up, pocket, and final third.
• Four attackers in the build-up zone against two defenders, one pocket player in the middle zone, and one target player in the final third.
• Balls with the attackers, and a 3-minute block clock.

How to Play:

1. The four attackers keep possession in two touches while the two defenders press to win it.
2. The pocket player drifts across the middle zone, checking away and coming short to show for the ball.
3. A pass into the pocket player must be received on the half-turn, side-on, on the back foot.
4. The pocket player takes one open touch and plays forward to the target player for 1 point.
5. Rotate the pocket player every 90 seconds, and swap the defenders every block.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Turn, don’t trap!” A pocket player who stops the ball and passes back scores nothing. The point is only for a forward touch through the lines.

Progressions: The pocket player is limited to one touch, then a defender may follow them into the pocket zone and the attackers must find the other half-space.

Drill 4 — Half-Space Pockets

The half-space game. Pockets open widest in the channels between the centre and the wing, so two pocket players work one in each half-space.

Setup:

• Area 40 x 30 yards, with a full goal at the far end, a goalkeeper in goal, and two shaded half-space channels.
• A back three in bibs, two pocket players in yellow, two defenders marking them, and one striker.
• Balls start with the coach at the halfway line.

How to Play:

1. The back three circulate the ball side to side, moving the two defenders across the pitch.
2. A pocket player checks away, then darts into the half-space pocket as the ball travels.
3. The ball is played into the pocket on the back foot, and the pocket player opens side-on.
4. The pocket player turns and plays forward to the striker, who finishes first time.
5. The next rep starts from the opposite half-space, so both pockets are worked in turn.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Half-space, half-turn!” If a pocket player stands central between both defenders, restart the rep. The pocket is in the channel, where one defender cannot cover both sides.

Progressions: A defender may step out and press the pocket player, then the pocket player must set it back and spin into the space behind the presser.

Drill 5 — Around to Play Through

The decision game, in line with the FIFA Training Centre breaking-lines session: go around the lines to stretch them, then play through the pocket that opens. Going around is the setup, never the end.

Setup:

• Area 40 x 30 yards, with wide players on each touchline, a central pocket zone, and a goal at each end.
• Two teams of 5, with one neutral pocket player who always joins the team in possession.
• Balls with the goalkeepers, and a 4-minute block clock.

How to Play:

1. The team in possession circulates the ball wide, playing around the defending team’s lines.
2. The neutral pocket player drifts between the lines, hidden behind a defender, then steps to one side.
3. As the defenders shift wide, the ball is switched back inside to the pocket player.
4. The pocket player receives on the half-turn and plays a split pass through to a runner.
5. A goal scored within 5 seconds of a pocket receive counts double, and the teams swap the neutral every block.

Coach’s note: The cue is “Around to go through!” Freeze any team that stays wide for four passes. The wide pass only matters when it opens the pocket inside.

Progressions: The defending team may send one player to mark the pocket player, then the possession team must use a third-man run to reach the pocket instead.

Drill 6 — The Line-Breaker Game

The real game. No goal counts unless the move has gone through the pocket, so every attack must find a player between the lines.

Setup:

• Area 50 x 35 yards, split into three zones, with a full goal at each end and a goalkeeper in each goal.
• Two teams of 6, with a shaded pocket zone across the middle third and balls starting with the coach.
• A goal counts 1 point normally, and 2 points if the move went through a pocket receive.

How to Play:

1. The coach plays the ball in, and teams play freely with no touch limit.
2. To score, a team must first complete a receive in the pocket zone by a player facing forward.
3. The pocket receiver must play forward within two touches, or the move resets to the goalkeeper.
4. A goal after a pocket receive scores 2 points, and any other goal scores 1 point.
5. Play four 4-minute blocks, keep a running score, and swap which team starts in possession each block.

Coach’s note: The cue is “No pocket, no goal!” If a team builds only around the outside, freeze play. The constraint forces the scan, the check and the forward touch under real pressure.

Progressions: The pocket zone narrows by 5 yards, then the touch limit drops to two, so the pocket receive must be first time.

Coaching points

• “Blind side, back foot!” In Drill 1, the receiver hides behind the mannequin’s shoulder. The pocket is found from the blind side, never from square-on.
• “Drift in, drift out!” In Drill 2, the Station 2 player never waits in the square. Constant movement in and out creates the lane.
• “Turn, don’t trap!” In Drill 3, a stopped ball scores nothing. The first touch must move forward through the lines.
• “Half-space, half-turn!” In Drill 4, the pocket is in the channel. A central receiver between two defenders has no room to turn.
• “Around to go through!” In Drill 5, wide circulation is the setup. The split pass inside is the point of the move.
• “No pocket, no goal!” In Drill 6, the constraint builds the habit. The same open receive is trained in these football half turn drills, where the body shape is set before the ball arrives.

Common mistakes

Age adaptations

60-minute session plan

Run the six games as one session with this 60-minute plan, or take any two games for a 20-minute block.

Once the pocket receive is automatic, build the passing patterns around it with these soccer passing drills, which train the weight and timing of the pass into the pocket.

Sources

These football playing between the lines drills are based on, and in line with, the FIFA Training Centre passing activation for playing and receiving in-between opponents, in which a player drops or drifts into the space between two opposing defenders, adopts an open body shape, receives the ball on the back foot, and turns away from opponents to aim for a strategic forward pass, and with the FIFA Training Centre breaking-lines session, in which players must receive the ball on the turn, constantly scan and check their shoulders, use feints to deceive opponents, create pockets of space and passing lanes when operating between the lines, and focus on the quality of the initial pass so the receiver can turn quickly and break the lines.

FAQ