Annual training plan · U9–U13

Week 43: Small Numbers – Passing Practice

2 complete training sessions with 8 drills – created by licensed coaches. Open every drill in the easy2coach web app with one click.

This week’s focus

Most coaches have certainly faced the situation of going through their player list to prepare the next session and realising that most of the team will not be able to attend.

This happens especially during school holidays. It can happen that the number of players can literally be counted on one hand. Of course, the holidays, or at least part of the time off school, can be used to give players the chance to recharge their “batteries”.

However, holiday periods of 2 weeks or longer in particular do not have to be completely without training. And even if the sessions can then only be held with a very small training group, the training time is by no means wasted. Training with few players offers little opportunity to work on team tactics, but it also brings some advantages:

  • Training can be tailored very well to individual players. Sessions in small groups are ideal, for example, for working on position-specific demands or on weaknesses.
  • A group of 5 players is easier to keep an eye on than 20 players. This not only reduces the organisational effort but also gives players less room to step out of line. This means training time can be used very effectively and less time is lost between practices.
  • As the coach, you have better opportunities to respond to individual players. This helps you go into more detailed coaching and also answer questions from individual players.
  • Players who tend to be reserved or are a little behind in their level can flourish more in a small training group and build self-confidence.

Author Luis Österlein

Session 1

4 drills

In the first session on small-group training, the focus is on passing. Passes over short distances are generally not a big challenge and are considered successful if the ball reaches the team-mate's foot. Although the arrival of the ball can be seen as a partial success, a pass can be viewed in a far more complex way than the movement of the ball from Player A to B. A good pass is also characterised by offering the team-mate ideal opportunities to continue play:

  • Pace of the pass: It should really go without saying that a free team-mate in a much better position receives the ball. But the team-mate can make even better use of this free space if the ball arrives quickly. This gives the team-mate more time to prepare the follow-up action. This could be, for example, a finish, picking up speed or a long forward pass.
  • The receiving foot: As mentioned, a free team-mate should not only be given the ball with sufficient pace on the pass; the foot the pass is played to also improves the receiver's starting position. If the pass is played to the front foot or into their path, the free space can be covered more quickly. A team-mate who is being marked, on the other hand, should be played onto the foot furthest from the opponent wherever possible. This makes it harder for the opponent to intercept the ball or to disrupt the 1st touch.
  • Giving a call: Continuing play can be made easier for a team-mate by a call. If the call “turn!” is given with the pass, the receiver knows immediately that they can take the ball in their stride in the direction of play. If, on the other hand, the call is “lay off”, “left shoulder” or “right shoulder”, the receiver is told that they have an opponent behind them and from which side that opponent is coming.
Coaching points for this session
  • Make sure the pass has sufficient pace
  • Pass to free team-mates into their path or to the front foot
  • Pass to team-mates with an opponent behind them onto the foot furthest from the opponent
  • Give a call with the pass to support the team-mate
Drill 1

Passing in a Square with 5 Players

20 min12 x 12 metres
  • The player in possession passes the ball to any team-mate and follows the pass.
  • The player who receives the ball controls it and dribbles around the cone at that position.
  • That player then passes to a new player and follows the passing line.

Variations:

  • Follow the pass with running technique drills.
  • Dribble the ball to a player and hand it over.
  • The player in possession plays a one-two with any player and then passes to a third player.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones mark the positions.

Equipment: 4 cones and several balls.

Players: At least one position is filled twice.

Coaching points
  • Pay attention to sufficient pace on the pass.
  • Work in a ready position.
  • Demand communication.
  • Follow the passing line with a short change of pace.
  • Work with few touches.
  • In the one-two, make an explosive change of pace after the first pass.
Drill 2

Ball Control in a 2 vs 1

25 min
  • Player B dribbles forward briefly and plays a pass to the oncoming Player C.
  • With this pass, Player A runs into the playing area.
  • The game is played 2 vs 1: Players B and C against Player A.
  • Players B and C attack the lower goal.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark out the playing area; there is a goal at each end.

Equipment: 2 goals, cones and several balls.

Players: Groups of three for the 2 vs 1 — Players A, B and C; plus goalkeepers.

Coaching points
  • Use the numerical superiority to make the game wide.
  • The defender works in the space and attacks at the right moment.
Drill 3

Forward Passing in 2 Variations

20 min15 metres between the poles in each case

Variation 1:

  • Player A starts the drill with a diagonal pass to Player B.
  • Player B breaks away from the pole shortly beforehand, takes the pass forward from a sideways position and passes it on to Player C.
  • Player C shows for the ball diagonally in an open body position and passes the ball on to Player D.
  • Player D continues the sequence in the opposite direction.
  • After a few minutes the positions are swapped.

Variation 2:

  • Player A plays past Player B with a long pass to Player C.
  • Player C lays the ball off diagonally backwards.
  • Player B has dropped away diagonally backwards beforehand, sets off after the pass and passes the lay-off on to Player D.
  • Player D controls the pass and starts the next action.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four poles stand one behind the other at a distance of 15 metres each.

Equipment: 4 poles per group and 1 ball per group.

Players: Groups of four with Players A, B, C and D; each player is assigned a pole.

Coaching points
  • In the first variation play the ball into the front foot.
  • In the first variation take the ball with the front foot and pass it on.
  • In the second variation lay the ball off with the foot furthest from the opponent.
  • In the second variation Player B drops back a little beforehand.
  • As soon as Player B has been bypassed, Player B moves towards the ball.
Drill 4

Funino - Passing 3 vs 1 or 3 vs 2

25 min
  • Goals may only be scored from the finishing zone.
  • The overload should be played out.
  • The opponent always starts from the opposite finishing zone.
  • The starting positions rotate continuously — green, blue, yellow, green again.
  • Basic rule: every player must have touched the ball once before the finish.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Cones mark the playing area and the finishing zones; four mini goals stand at the ends.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, cones and several balls.

Players: Teams for the 3 vs 1 or the 3 vs 2 in the colours green, blue and yellow.

Coaching points
  • Play out the overload cleverly.
  • Pass firmly and accurately.
  • Play the team-mate into the front foot when free.
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Session 2

4 drills

In the last session, passing was practised in small training groups. Among other things, the players were taught that a pass should not only reach the team-mate but should also put them in the best possible starting position. The passer can play the ball to the receiver at different paces, with an additional call and onto the foot furthest from the opponent or onto the front foot, in order to make it easier to continue play.

But even when a pass offers perfect conditions for continuing play, the receiver must control the ball with as little loss of time as possible. That is why, after the passing training, this session continues in small groups with the focus on controlling the ball.

When training the 1st touch, there are many adjustments that can be made to increase or vary the level of difficulty. In small-group training in particular, the difficulty of controlling the ball can also be adapted very well to the individual players so that they are neither over- nor under-challenged. The following options are available:

  • The ball is to be either received or taken directly in stride. In principle it is beneficial for players to get used to taking the ball in their stride with the 1st touch, but this can also overwhelm the players. Especially when controlling high balls, it is necessary first to gain confidence in receiving the ball.
  • Controlling the ball can take place under pressure from an opponent or under time pressure. Once a technique has been mastered cleanly, it should also be trained under pressure conditions. This can already happen in the actual technique drills and should definitely happen in a subsequent small-sided game or competition format.
  • Controlling the ball can be combined with a wide variety of follow-up actions. This means the 1st touch has to be purposeful in order to prepare the next action as well as possible.
  • The ball can reach the receiver high, at mid-height or along the ground, and from different distances, angles and at different paces. In addition, the parts of the body with which the ball is to be controlled can also be specified.
  • The ball can be received or taken in stride from a standing position or on the move.
Coaching points for this session
  • Use the first touch to prepare the follow-up action as well as possible
  • Take the ball in your stride straight away wherever possible
  • Take the ball into free space
  • Combine taking the ball in stride with a body feint to get away from the opponent
Drill 1

Footbonaut: Improving Technique and Awareness

20 min
  • The coach calls out one of the targets and plays a pass to the player.
  • This player has two touches to finish on the corresponding mini goal.

Variations:

  • As group training with a maximum of five players per group: one player stands in the middle, the other four on the outside between the mini goals with balls. The coach calls out a name and a target — the pass comes from the player named, and the finish is taken on the goal named. In this way the ball does not only come from one direction, and two questions have to be answered at once: where is the ball coming from, and where does it have to go? This makes the drill more game-realistic.
  • Use different goal sizes; the size of the goal depends on the importance of the respective target.
  • As a partner drill: set team targets and go into the middle in pairs. One player stops the ball, the other plays it into the goal.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four mini goals stand in a diamond shape, two of them opposite each other in each case. In the middle a square of four cones forms the standing area.

Equipment: 4 mini goals, 4 cones and balls with the coach.

Players: One player stands in the middle between the goals. Before the drill each goal is assigned a target or a value — depending on the focus.

Coaching points
  • Act in an open body position.
  • Act with both feet.
  • Vary the pace of the passes.
Drill 2

Reaction and Speed

20 min

Exercise 1

  • Two players run from the tall cones towards the halfway line or the cone line respectively.
  • Player 1 tries to get to the ball first, either on the left or on the right, in order to finish; while doing so, Player 1 changes direction quickly at least once or twice.
  • Player 2 tries to copy the same movement and to get to the ball sooner.

Exercise 2

  • As in Exercise 1, but Player 1 touches the tall cones in a changing order, and Player 2 does the same.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Two red and two yellow tall cones as starting points, about eight to ten yellow and four red cones as a ball line and a halfway line plus two mini goals.

Equipment: 4 tall cones, about 14 cones and 2 mini goals.

Players: Pairs are formed.

Coaching points
  • The striker should beat the defender with a body feint.
Drill 3

Taking Ground Passes in Stride

20 min
  • The feeder plays a pass towards the player waiting for the ball.
  • As this happens the coach calls out a colour as well as inside or outside.
  • The player waiting for the ball takes the ball directly through the cone goal called out, using the inside or the outside of the foot respectively.
  • With the second or third touch that player finishes at the youth goal.
Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Six cones in three different colours form three cone goals; behind them stands a youth goal.

Equipment: 1 goal, 6 cones in three colours and several balls.

Players: One feeder — the coach if preferred — and one player waiting for the ball; plus a goalkeeper.

Coaching points
  • Turn the ankle inwards or outwards and lock it.
  • Pull the toes up.
  • Bring the upper body slightly over the ball.
  • Do not stop the ball dead but take it with the first touch in the movement towards the target direction.
Drill 4

2 vs 2 + 1 on One Goal

20 min15 x 20 metres
  • The attackers try to get away from their opponent and to get free for a pass.
  • One attacker receives the ball.
  • The two attackers then try to score a goal.
  • After winning the ball, the defenders pass it to the feeder as quickly as possible.

Note: The drill is well suited to practising the opposing movement of the two strikers. If one attacker comes short and is followed by the defender, the second striker can run into the free space behind and be played in behind. If a striker comes short and the defender keeps a distance, the attacker can be played to and can turn.

Equipment & set-up

Pitch: Four cones mark the playing area; there is a goal at one end.

Equipment: 4 cones, 1 goal and several balls.

Players: Two attackers, two defenders and one feeder; in addition a goalkeeper.

Coaching points
  • Finish the attacks quickly.
  • Control the ball with the foot furthest from the opponent.
  • The feeder dribbles once first; the ball must not be played into the playing area from a standstill.
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