Combination — Pass and Move
A passing combination rolls around the grid — pass, follow to the next cone, a touch back in the middle — until the last player speed-dribbles to the far corner and it starts again.
The combination trains crisp, clean passes with movement off the ball timed to the pass — and speeding up the whole pattern is the point.
15 min tonight · One player at each cone
- Ages 9+
- One player at each cone
- 15 min as the drill is written
- Cones, balls
Grab Cones and a supply of balls.
Build Place a cone at the four corners of a grid about 30 by 20 yards, a cone about 10 yards off two diagonal corners, and a staggered cone about 7 yards off each of those, as the diagram shows — sized to your group's age, skill, and combination.
Place A player at every cone, with the balls starting in the two corners.
- 1
Organize the players
Put a player at each cone with the balls starting at the two corner cones.
“One of you at every cone — balls live in the corners. Know your neighbor; the ball's coming.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the pattern — player 1 passes to player 2 and moves to player 2's cone; player 2 passes to player 3; player 3 plays it back to player 2, then on to player 4; player 2 moves to player 3's cone and player 3 to player 4's; player 4 dribbles with speed to the other player-1 cone, and the drill repeats.
“Pass, then go take their cone. Middle players — play it back, keep it moving. Last one — dribble hard to the far corner and we go again!”
- 3
Play
Let the pattern run as one continuous passing loop and push the speed of the combination — crisp, clean passes, movement off the ball timed with the pass, the drill flowing without a pause.
“Crisp passes! Time your run — go as the ball goes. Faster now!”
Look for Movement off the ball timed with the pass — the pattern flowing continuously.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Switch the direction of the play to work different angles and passes — or run the same pattern but finish with a long ball out to player 1 instead of the dribble.
“Flip it — same pattern, other way around. New angles, new feet!”
If the combination keeps breaking down, resize the grid while they play — the right size for this group's age and skill is what lets the pattern flow.
Go deeper · 2 notes
Why it works
The pattern only works when every pass is crisp and every run is timed with it — so the drill teaches flow itself, and once it flows, speeding up the combination play is the whole game.
What they learn
Crisp, clean passing, timing, movement off the ball, and speed of play in one continuous combination.
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.