Soccer Coaching - Through Pass & Shoot - U10-U12
Soccer coaching this U10 to U12 drill is easy!
Preparation
This drill will help your players understand how to play a 'through pass' or 'through ball' to an attacking player as well as offer reminders on how to pass accurately and shoot.
Take a look at the diagram below... you will need 3 cones, a few soccer balls and a goal.
Through Pass & Shoot
Explanation
You should have half your players lined up behind cone A, and half your players behind cone B with one person (or the coach) as goalkeeper.
- One player from cone A passes the soccer ball to cone B.
- The player from cone A then makes a run (as marked out by the white arrow in diagram) round the back of cone C.
- One player from cone B then makes a 'through pass' between cones A & C (as marked out by yellow arrow).
- The player from cone A should then run on to the passed soccer ball and have a shot at goal.
Effectively,
those behind cone A are attacking players and those behind cone B are
midfield players. The midfield player attempts to make a perfect through
pass between defenders whilst the person behind cone A makes a well
timed run and has a good shot at goal.
Cones A & C are acting as static defenders.
Remember to swap around your players at cones A & B to allow everyone to both pass and shoot.
Progression
If
your players are becoming good at this drill, add a defender between
cones A & C who tries to intercept the ball. You may need to widen
the cones or ask the defender to stand in one spot at first but allow
your soccer coaching skills to determine the best progression for this.
You
could also swap around the roles of those at cones A & B. This time
the player at cone B passes to cone A and makes a run around C. The
player at cone A then makes a small pass between cones A & C for the
player to run on to and shoot.
Coaching Points
- Remember that it can be difficult for the player making the run to 'time' their run perfectly, it takes practice.
- The same can be said for passing the ball. It shouldn't be too soft but also not too hard so it goes too far.
- This drill is more about the through pass and the off-the-ball running however don't forget that a good shot at the end should be coached correctly.
