How to play
- Mark a small circle or square about 7 metres across, with a small goal on opposite sides. Two players, one ball.
- One player starts with the ball in the middle. Each attacks the opponent's goal and defends their own.
- A goal is one point. A panna, playing the ball through the opponent's legs and collecting it on the other side, wins the match at once.
- A match lasts 2 to 3 minutes or ends at the first panna. If the ball leaves the area, the other player restarts by dribbling it in from the edge.
- Set up several areas side by side. After each match, winners move one area along and losers the other way, and the next match starts straight away.
The decision it trains
Every time the defender steps in, the player on the ball has a choice: the goal, which is one point and fairly safe, or the legs, which win the match but give the ball away if they miss. So the attacker reads the defender's stance: feet wide and weight forward invite the panna, feet together mean go round or shoot. The defender has to press without opening their legs, and decide how close they dare to get.
Make it harder or easier
What to ask at the breaks
"What did the defender's feet tell you before you went for the legs?"
"When did you choose the goal instead of the panna?"
"What did you change after you were nutmegged?"
Where it is played, and what it is called
Each name links to its source
NetherlandsPanna Source ↗
Where it comes from
Panna comes from the street football of Amsterdam and Rotterdam, where it is played in small cages (pannakooi). The word comes from Surinamese and means "little gate", a reference to nutmegging; the history of the game in the Surinamese Dutch community is not documented. The street duel itself is older than any tournament and has no date. Panna Knock Out, the organised competition, dates its start to 2001.