Six-Cone Passing Drill
Five players cover five cones of a six-cone rectangle — pass the ball, then sprint to the open cone before the next pass opens yours.
Passing, awareness, and movement after the pass — a great warmup, and a sharp way to work passing technique with the movement built in.
15 min tonight · Groups of 5
- Ages 9+
- Groups of 5
- 15 min as the drill is written
- Cones
Grab Six cones and a ball for the group.
Build Build a 15-by-25-yard rectangle using the six cones.
Place Five players each take a cone, leaving one cone empty — one player starts with the ball.
- 1
Organize the players
Put five players on five of the six cones, leaving one empty, and give one player the ball.
“One cone each — and see the empty one? Whoever passes goes there next.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Walk the loop — pass the ball, then move to the open cone; as the passer moves, their cone becomes the open one, available for the next passer.
“Pass it, then go — the empty cone is yours. The one you left opens up for the next passer.”
- 3
Play
Run the round for 2 minutes. Watch for good passing technique, crisp passes with good weight, movement immediately after the pass, and playing in two touch.
“Two touches — crisp passes! The second it leaves your foot, you're moving!”
Look for Movement immediately after the pass — nobody admiring their pass from a standstill.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Reset and run more 2-minute rounds. For later rounds, resize the field, limit everyone to one-touch passing, or add a combination or 1-2 pass.
“New round — one touch only this time!”
If the passing keeps breaking down, slide the cones out for a bigger rectangle while they play — then bring it back in as the passes connect.
Go deeper · 2 notes
Why it works
The open cone attaches a move to every pass — passing technique, awareness, and movement after the pass all get worked at once, which is what makes it a great warmup or a focused look at passing technique and movement.
What they learn
Good passing technique — crisp passes with good weight — plus awareness, movement immediately after the pass, and playing in two touch.
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.