Four Corners Passing Game
Two teams keep the ball in a big square and score by finding a teammate inside any corner grid — never the same corner twice in a row.
The no-repeat rule forces the point of attack to change — swinging the ball away from the crowd is how a team keeps it and hurts you with it.
Starting at Core — your team is set to mixed.
20 min tonight · Two teams
- Ages 9+
- Two teams
- 20 min as the drill is written
- Cones, pinnies, balls
Grab Cones, pinnies for one team, and a few balls.
Build Build a 40-by-40-yard square, then mark a small 5-by-5 grid inside each corner.
Place Both teams spread through the big square. Ball starts with one team.
- 1
Organize the players
Split into two teams, one in pinnies, both spread through the big square.
“Two teams, whole square. You score in the corners.”
- 2
Show the jobs
Point out the four corner grids and the scoring — a pass received by a teammate inside a corner is a point, and the same corner never scores twice in a row.
“Pass to a teammate inside a corner — that's a point. Never the same corner twice in a row.”
- 3
Play
Keep score out loud. Watch the weight and accuracy of the passing, and whether support arrives around the ball at all times.
“Change the corner! Don't force it into the crowd — swing it!”
Look for The point of attack changing — the ball swinging toward an empty corner instead of forced into a congested one.
- 4
Switch and repeat
Run it again with the variation — nobody stands inside a grid waiting; the run into the corner and the pass have to arrive together.
“New rule — no camping in the corners. Time your run to meet the pass!”
If neither team can string passes together, move a player across so one team is up a number until the ball starts moving, then even it back up.
Go deeper · 3 notes
Why it works
Scoring lives in the corners, so the ball has to travel — and the no-repeat rule means the team that just scored must find a new target. Timing is the engine: the run into the grid and the pass are one skill, and they only count together.
What they learn
Changing the point of attack, timing of runs and passes, and support around the ball.
What's next
Corner Combinations — the corners become teammates, and the score becomes a one-touch 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.