Movement without the ball to create passing lines.
22 drills
22 drills
A line of mannequins acts as the defence: the central player combines with a winger and threads the pass for the opposite winger, who runs diagonally in behind the line and finishes.
Four-station circuit Pep Guardiola ran in his first pre-season at Bayern: wall pass after getting beyond the mannequin, long switch, first-time lay-off, through ball and finish. Every player rotates to the next station.
The classic Dutch square from the Ajax academy: pass to the next corner, wall pass back and a through ball for the teammate already running to the next line. Continuous tempo with one and two touches.
Positional game recorded at a Luis Enrique FC Barcelona training session in 2015: 30x10 m divided into three zones, two players per team in each zone and a neutral player in the central zone. It is all about finding the free man and playing between the lines.
Possession in 25x25 m with two teams of four and three neutrals (two on opposite sidelines and one inside). The team in possession plays 7v4; the team that wins the ball takes over. Structure, support and counter-pressing.
Y-shaped passing sequence: support, lay-off to the third man and a pass into space to finish against the keeper. A pre-season classic for passing, movement and timing.
Diamond passing pattern in which the ball reaches the third man through a support touch and a first-time lay-off. Develops timing, pass weight and support movement.
Wave warm-up with four lines 10 m apart: the outside players pass to the inside players, who dribble diagonally outwards while the passer overlaps around the outside and receives on the run. The group advances up the pitch keeping its spacing.
Circuit from the FIFA Talent Coach Programme: the midfielder receives with his back to the opposition goal between two mannequins, moves off the cone, takes an oriented touch with the far foot and plays between the lines. Progress with a defender who forces the choice between turning or playing back.
Simeone's Atletico circuit in a 30x15 m rectangle: trios cross the area chaining diagonal passes into a teammate's run and finish with a long diagonal switch of play and a dribble to the opposite marker.
Two identical diamonds mirrored either side of the halfway line. Each diamond circulates the ball first time from a feeder's one-two and ends with a long diagonal to the central player, who finishes in the opposite diamond's mini goal. The two diagonals cross through the middle.
Four cones in a line 5-10 m apart. The two central players peel off their cones sideways in opposite directions to offer a passing line and the ball travels from one end to the other with three combinations: short pass, long pass with lay-off and one-two.
The Dutch school (KNVB) triangle: inside-of-the-foot pass, back-foot control pushing the ball behind the cone and pass to the third point. The advanced version adds a first-time return and an angled pass into the run.
Five cones forming a star. The ball is always passed to the player two cones away, drawing the star, and every passer follows their pass. A passing warm-up that ends with two or three balls circulating at once.
Six players on the corners of a 20-yard hexagon circulate two balls at once, receiving on the back foot and turning. At the top and bottom corners an extra player adds a wall pass.
Positional game for U17: 40x40 m square divided into four 20x20 m zones. Two teams of eight and five neutrals. In the active zone a 3v3+3 is played and, after 8-10 passes, the team in possession must switch play to another zone.
Possession game from the FIFA Talent Coach Programme: 20x20 m square, 4v4 inside and four neutrals, two inside and two at the ends as targets. The ball must progress from one target to the opposite one and is obliged to go through the centre.
Activation for three teams of four in a 20x20 yard square: one keeps the ball on the outside, one attacks inside and one defends inside. The outside team circulates quickly to pull the defenders out of shape, plays inside and, after a turnover, swaps roles with the defending team.
Possession game from the FIFA Talent Coach Programme: 30x20 m split into three lanes, two teams of nine in a 3-3-3 (one player from each line per lane) and two neutral goalkeepers at the ends. Always pass and move, no offside.
Directional rondo with two end zones and a middle third. Seven possession players (two targets in each end zone and three inside) against three defenders. Score with a ground pass to the far targets: 1 direct, 2 through the middle third, 5 for an up-back-through combination.
Rondo from the FIFA Talent Coach Programme: three possession players in a 10 m triangle against one defender inside. The focus is readjusting body shape, feet and position after every pass so the ball carrier always has two triangular passing lanes.
Possession game with two inside jokers who always play with the team in possession. A 7v5 overload to work keeping the ball under pressure and finding the free player.