Test the passing, visual and communication skills of players by having two balls being passed at the same time in opposite directions from one end of a grid to the other in order to score a goal.
SET UP
A 10m square for every four players: Teams of two in each. Stack the squares and have one player from each team at both ends of the grid (picture 1). One end player holds a ball.
THE RULES
The balls are passed in to a team mate and passed from square to square until they reach the other end.
Whoever takes the final pass scores a goal for the team (picture 2).
Opponents can intercept any ball they wish and use it to score, but they can’t leave their own square. Both balls are scoring balls. Picture 3 shows how passes can be varied from square to square.
After every goal, grids shuffle along one to allow everyone a chance to play in the middle where most of the action happens.
SCORING
The winning team is the one with the most goals at the end of the allotted time.
TELL THEM
“Listen and react to a call from a team mate.”
“Look for the best person to pass to under pressure.”
“Move a defender to make a pass.”
COACHING TIPS
This is a pressure passing game that makes a player not only try to evade a defender but also look for another person to pass to very quickly.
I've been fortunate enough to have Eddie Jones deliver some sessions. This is the game he started with and it is excellent for reinforcing key messages around core skills or principles of play. MORE
Introduce players of mixed ability to contact by building up the skills through games and questioning.
I’ve found that using this progression of activity, the players develop contact skills together. You can adjust the pitch sizes and timings to suit your players. MORE
Build your team’s offloading skills in a game-related way so the passer and receiver can start to understand their options.
We know a simple offloading game can devastate defences. The players need the skills and the confidence to know how to offload and when to offload. MORE
Execute core skills under pressure in a competitive environment where players have to handle and support well when they are tired.
This will take time to work. Be patient! MORE
Use this unusual pitch set up to pose problems for your players to solve. As they work out ways to score they will begin to use handling and support to create width on their game. MORE
Encourage your ball carriers to run at pace, looking to avoid contact by anticipating where the spaces are.
This is a scanning exercise for just the ball carrier. They will make mistakes, yet start to become attuned to looking for gaps. MORE
