Three Person Passing Combination

Three players run a give-and-go chain across the grid — pass into the middle, slide for the return, hit the long ball, and take the middle yourself.

Good combination play is passing, movement off the ball, and communication working together — and running the rotation nonstop raises the fitness level too.

Ages 9+3 at a time in a grid10 minCones

Set up · 3 actions · before the kids arrive

Grab: Cones for the grid, and a ball.
Build: Create a grid approximately 10 by 20 yards.
Place: Two players on corner cones opposite each other, and one player in the center of the grid — the ball starts with player 1 at his corner.

Show me the setup picture

A 10-by-20 grid with a player on each of two opposite corner cones, one player in the center, and the ball at a corner.

One thing to remember: Passing and combination play — weight, pace, and accuracy, correct runs off the ball, well-timed runs facing the passing direction, and communication — plus fitness from the constant movement.

How it runs — the whole game in one sentence

Pass into the middle, slide to the side cone for the return, then hit the long ball and move into the center yourself — the rotation repeats end to end.

1Organize the players▾
Coach does
Put two players on corner cones opposite each other and one player in the center of the grid, with the ball starting at player 1's corner.
Coach says
Corners and a middle. Corner with the ball — you start us.
2Show the jobs▾
Coach does
Walk the chain — player 1 passes to the central player, moves to the cone to his side, and receives the ball back; the central player then moves to player 1's original starting cone. Player 1 plays a long ball to player 3 and moves into the center to become the new central player. Player 3 plays into player 1 and takes the return at the cone placed 10 yards away; player 1 takes player 3's starting position while player 3 plays a long ball down to the start — and becomes the central player. The pattern repeats.
Coach says
Pass, slide, get it back. Long ball, then take the middle.
3Play▾
Coach does
Keep the pattern repeating and hold the quality — the weight, pace, and accuracy of every pass, and correct runs off the ball, with each run well timed and facing the passing direction so the pass can be accurate. Keep them talking — communication makes the drill easier.
Coach says
Talk to each other! Face your pass as you run — make it easy to find you.
Look for: The run — well timed and facing the passing direction, so every pass has a clean target.
4Switch and repeat▾
Coach does
Let the rotation carry everyone through all three jobs, then switch and go the other direction so players get used to playing from different angles.
Coach says
Flip it! Same chain, other way — new angles.

If it's not working

If the chain keeps breaking, get them talking — a called name before every pass. Communication is what makes this drill easier.

Want to go deeper? Optional — not needed to run the game.

Why are we doing this?

Three players cover every job in one loop — short pass, support run, long ball, and the middle — so touches, correct runs, and communication come nonstop, and the constant movement improves the fitness level while they work.

What are they learning?

Passing and combination play — weight, pace, and accuracy, correct runs off the ball, well-timed runs facing the passing direction, and communication — plus fitness from the constant movement.