Youth U10–U14
Success in Soccer 6/10
Passing, receiving and combination play
A sample practice session for ages U10–U14
by Steffen Freund, DFB coach
Teams that can move the ball forward with purposeful combination play are more likely to take
their opponents by surprise. Fast finishing can be a great way to score goals!
This practice session is all about improving the accuracy of your team’s passing. Players pass
according to a set sequence and then finish on the goal. To keep the tempo up and the players
focused, these passing sequences are intentionally kept simple, as they need to be when playing
fast combinations in the middle.
WARM-UP
Warm-up 1: Limited touches
Setup
• Field 1: Mark out a square with different colored cones.
• Field 2: Mark out a square with a cone in the center.
• Divide players into two groups and assign one to each field.
Sequence (Field 1)
• Distribute players evenly around the corners of the field.
• Players pass counterclockwise around the field and follow the pass
to the next cone.
• Players are limited to two touches at the yellow cones and three at
the red cones.
Sequence (Field 2)
• Player A plays a wall pass with B, who then takes the ball toward C
before passing.
• Then C plays a wall pass with D, who passes to A, etc.
• Use two balls: A and C start simultaneously.
• All players advance to the next position after each play.
Tips and corrections
• The players on Field 1 must pay attention to the varying touch
limitations, and they should always pass to receivers’ feet.
• Receivers need to take the ball with them while controlling it.
• Passers need to flex their foot and lean slightly forward from the
waist.
• Players switch directions on the coach’s signal.
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Youth U10–U14
Technique: Passing/Receiving
Passing, receiving and combination play
WARM-UP
Warm-up 2: Passing race
• Blue players pass as follows: A passes to B, who drops the ball
back to A. Then A passes back to B, who receives and passes to C. C
drops the ball back to B; then B passes back to C, who receives and
passes to D, etc.
• Yellow players passing back and forth until the blue team has
completed a whole round.
• Afterwards the teams change positions.
• Which team can complete more passes while in the middle?
Sequence (Field 2)
• One player stands at the center cone. The rest line up at the corner
cones.
• Player A starts out with the ball and passes to the center player,
who passes to B.
Setup
• Setup is the same as above.
Sequence (Field 1)
• Divide players into two teams.
• Blue players stand at the corners, yellow players inside the field.
• B passes back to A, who plays the ball diagonally into B’s path.
• B controls the ball and passes to C.
• C passes to the center player, who passes to D, etc.
Tips and corrections
• On Field 1, receivers are not allowed to pass back to the passer.
• Players are limited to two touches.
• If the ball goes out or one the above rules is broken, subtract five
passes.
main session
Main session 1: Passing through the center 1
Sequence
• Player A plays a wall pass with B and then passes to C.
• C dribbles a short distance and finishes with a shot on goal.
• Each player advances to the next position.
• After a while, players switch stations (to practice finishing with the
other foot).
Variations
• Players must pass directly.
• C has to finish within three touches.
• Team competition: Which team can score more goals in two five-
minute rounds?
Tips and corrections
• The object of this exercise is to execute a simple passing combina-
tion through the center.
• Having two stations ensures that players practice finishing with
Setup
• Set up two large goals with goalkeepers diagonally across from
each other.
• Place three cones in a triangle in front of each goal.
• Distribute players evenly around both triangles.
both feet. Make sure they switch stations after a few rounds.
• Receivers should take an open position facing play.
• C should not start too early into space, so that the pass can be
played into his running path.
Success in Soccer 6/10
main session
Main session 2: Passing through the center 2
Sequence
• The basic sequence remains the same as above, except now A
passes to C, who drops the ball back to A. Then A passes to B, who
passes directly to C.
• C dribbles a short distance and finishes with a shot on goal.
Variations
• C has to do a fake before finishing.
• C plays 1 v. 1 against the goalkeeper to score.
• C does a body fake before receiving, checking away and then back
for the ball.
Tips and corrections
• After the first few rounds, players should switch to top speed.
• Don’t start the next round until all players have cleared the field
Setup
and everyone is in position.
• Make sure players are focused so their passes are clean and precise. Precision is more important than speed!
• Set up two large goals with goalkeepers diagonally across from
each other.
• Place three cones in a triangle in front of each goal.
• Distribute players evenly around both triangles.
Conclusion
Conclusion: Passing zones
Sequence
• Teams play 6 v. 6.
• The ball carrier can use the outside players to help build the attack:
They can play wall passes in their own half, and in the opposition’s
half they can dribble onto the field as additional attackers after
receiving the ball.
Variations
• The outside players must pass directly in their own half.
• All passes must be played on the ground. If any pass is played
above the knee, the ball goes to the other team.
Tips and corrections
• Rotate the outside players regularly.
• The players in possession need to watch their positions and avoid
closing down the passing lanes to wall players.
• Outside players who have dribbled onto the field need to get quickly
Setup
• Mark out a field with a standard goal with goalkeeper on each
endline.
• Divide players into two teams.
• Two extra players stand outside the field, one on each sideline.
back into their original positions if the attacking team loses the ball.
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