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Soccer Passing Standards
There’s an endless variety of patterns and drills that can help your team expand and hone its passing vocabulary. These, however, are the most important passing blueprints that you should be familiar with:
Give and Go or Wall Pass
Make a pass at an angle to a teammate and he or she plays the ball back to you after you have made a run behind the defender.
The key here is suckering in the defender. Let him or her get just close enough to you so they think they have a chance of getting the ball. Once they are close to you and the angle is right, make the pass and break into the open space behind the defender.
It is important for the person making the pass back (the wall) to put the right weight on the ball so the person initiating the give and go can run on to the ball and not have to break stride. This means playing the ball to the right open space and at the right pace.
There are numerous variations of the wall pass and this is the foundation for organizing an offensive support system for your team. You can play a give and go to create a scoring chance or to relieve pressure from a defender so you have time to make a decisive pass. You don’t necessarily have to get behind the defender in order to achieve these objectives.
Short Short Long
Make two short passes in quick succession and then a long pass to spread the defense or escape pressure. Try two small give and goes and then a long pass as the defense closes in on you. In soccer, your team will generally have time and space to make two, three, or maybe four passes in a small area. Then you'll need to escape pressure, so the next pass should be a switch or a longer pass that breaks from the pressure entirely. A typical play would be a few exchanges on the left with the forward and midfielders and then a switch to an open midfielder or defender on the right side of the field.
Third Man Running
Play a ball to someone, knowing that there is another teammate reading the play and running to receive this pass from the player you just played the ball to. For instance, the defender plays a driven ball into the forward’s feet because he or she sees their midfielder making a run towards the forward. Another example could be where the center midfielder plays the ball out wide to the winger or outside midfielder and the defender makes an overlapping run. The center midfielder has seen that the defender is preparing to overlap the outside midfielder and that is why he or she has made the pass.
Checking Out
Move from a certain position or area to make space for a teammate. An example would be a wide midfielder making a run into the middle because he or she sees the defender is moving up into attack.
The Overlap
An overlap is when the player with the ball plays it to his teammate and then makes a run around that player. The most common type of overlap is when the outside midfielder cuts into the middle with the ball and the outside defender makes a run down the line. A simpler run would be having a center midfielder make a pass to a winger and then run around him or her to receive the ball down the line. A good method for a player to follow is to play and follow your pace (pass and move). You don't have to follow this directive exactly but this is a good way to move without the ball.
Like the give and go, this is a stock (fundamental) play in soccer, with a number of variations.
Don’t Pass Out
The ball will never get tired. So, make the ball do the work by spreading it around the field. Always keep the other team chasing the ball and expending energy.
Play the ball into the forward’s feet, get it back, swing it to the left defender, get it back, play it to the forward, get it back and then play it in behind the defense to an on rushing winger – with an amoeba-like progression up the field. Of course, ideally there could be one or two passes and you're running at goal.
There are many different styles to play and yours depends upon your team makeup and the current score of the game. In general, vary your game. If you just won the ball back after fighting for a while to get it, don’t make a risky pass. Get the ball to your play maker and try to compose your team. However, if you see an opening, like someone making a great run towards goal, play the ball through. You can accomplish this by getting the ball to your play makers. You’d rather have them make those decisions and that type of pass, rather than, say, an outside back. So, when a defender wins it, he or she is looking to get the ball to the play makers—the central midfielders.
Remember that often, at the start of the game, both teams are playing with great energy, so you might need to just clear your lines and send the ball long out of the back. Then, as your team gets more comfortable, you can try to build out of the back. Or, you might want to make a statement when the game starts, so you send the ball long to your winger who is breaking down the line, and then try to close down the other team right from the kickoff. This puts them on their heels and gets your team right into the game and in their half of the field.
The important thing is to mix things up and keep your opponents guessing. By making quick, firm and unpredictable passes, you’ll be well on your way to that game-winning goal.
Watch These Passing Videos:
Check out these great passing videos and our section on crossing:
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