Pass Through the Middle: A Passing Accuracy Game for U8 to U14

How to set it up

• In a 15 by 20 metre area mark three lanes about 4 metres wide and 16 metres long.
• Three players per lane: one at each end and one in the middle.
• One ball per lane.

How to play

• The end players pass to each other, trying to get the ball past the middle player.
• The middle player counts five seconds out loud; the pass must go before the count ends.
• Scoring: past the middle with the inside of the foot 1 point, the outside of the foot 3, the weaker foot 5.
• A pass that hits the middle player above the knee costs a point: keep it on the ground.
• Rounds of two minutes, then rotate so everyone plays in the middle.

Why it works

The blocker in the middle makes the pass a decision: which side of him, how hard, and when. Wait too long and the count runs out; rush it and the pass is easy to block.

The middle player is not a cone. They move, they feint, and they learn to read the passer's body before the ball comes.

What to coach

• Look at the blocker before you pass, then pass to the side they are not covering.
• A firm pass along the ground, struck with the ankle locked.
• Hide the pass: a late swing makes it harder to read.
• The receiver moves sideways to open a new line.

Questions to ask

• "Which side did you pass on, and why that side?"
• "What did you see the middle player do before you passed?"
• "How did your partner help you get the pass through?"

Make it easier, make it harder

• Easier: a wider lane, a longer count, the middle player can only move sideways one step.
• Harder: a narrower lane; one-touch passing; the middle player can win the ball and score by stopping it on either end line.

How to adapt it by age

• U8 to U9: the stronger foot, a wide lane, the inside and outside scoring.
• U10 to U12: the weaker foot scoring, the five-second count, a narrower lane.
• U13 to U14: one touch, the laces allowed, and promotion and relegation between lanes.