Line Passing Overlap Warm-Up
Waves of four work across the field — pass inside, overlap around your player, and fill the lane a teammate is leaving — holding their spacing the whole way.
This is the introduction to overlapping runs — playing off the pass and teamwork through communication, perfected before it ever meets a defender.
10 min tonight · Four lines, working in waves of 4
- Ages 8–14
- Four lines, working in waves of 4
- 10 min as the drill is written
- Cones, balls
Grab Four cones and balls for the two outside lines.
Build Set the 4 cones along a sideline, about 10 yards apart.
Place Line the players up evenly behind each cone, with the players at the two outside cones starting with the balls.
- 1
Organize the players
Split the players evenly behind the four cones, balls with the two outside lines. The first player at each cone is the wave — players 1 and 4 on the outside, 2 and 3 inside.
“Four lines, ten yards apart. Outside lines — you've got the balls and the first pass.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the first wave — player 1 passes to player 2 at the same time player 4 passes to player 3. Players 2 and 3 dribble with speed to the outside lane; player 1 overlaps around player 2 and runs into the space player 3 is leaving, while player 4 overlaps player 3 and fills the space player 2 is leaving. The pattern continues until the wave reaches the other side of the field.
“Pass it inside, then run around your player — you're filling the lane a teammate just left.”
- 3
Play
Send the waves across and encourage each one to keep the same spacing it started with. Watch the quality of passes into the feet or the space of the attacker, early runs made with speed — they have a long way to travel — and dribblers angling toward the outside at speed.
“Early runs — you've got a long way to go! And keep your spacing!”
Look for Early overlapping runs made with speed — and the wave holding the spacing it started with.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Send the next wave of four when you're ready, and keep them coming.
“Next four — same pattern. Show me those early runs!”
If the rotation scrambles heads, freeze one wave mid-field and ask — whose space are you running into? Let them point, then play on.
Go deeper · 2 notes
Why it works
The wave form lets players perfect the introduction of overlapping runs — the pass, the run around, and the lane to fill — with playing off the pass and teamwork through communication built into every crossing.
What they learn
Overlapping runs, playing off the pass, and teamwork through communication — quality passes into feet or space, early runs with speed, and the dribble angled wide at speed.
Where does this come from?
SoccerXpert — their published drill library.
A published drill library. Useful and widely used, but not a governing body — so it fills gaps rather than leading.