A Better Football subscriber recently emailed to ask if I had any suggestions for a long passing session that he was planning.
I had a think about it and put together a simple session plan. I thought I would share it with you here:
Long Passing – Soccer Coaching Session Plan
Set up a pitch approximately 40m x [...]

Young players sometimes struggle to lift the ball off the ground and I have found that teaching them Chip Passes is a great stepping-stone to more complex movements such as the Long Lofted Drive.
Chip Passing is also a really useful skill for young footballers to have when they come up against well-organised teams. The change [...]

Swerve passes, played with the outside of the foot (young players understand this area as the ‘little toe’) are much easier to disguise than push passes because the passer’s body shape is a lot more closed throughout the movement.
The ball swerves because spin is applied to the pass, this means outside arch passes can be [...]

I’ve just released an updated version of “Small Sided Games: Attack!”; a 40 page book including 8 brand-new Small Sided Games templates plus modifications and progressions for each.
Every topic also includes the key coaching points for techniques and tactics that you can coach through the game – meaning if needed you can take the [...]

Tactical Point – When & Where

Watch the world’s best national side Spain, or the best club side Barcelona, and one thing is clear: effective short passing technique is well worth instilling in our young players.
One of the key players in both of these teams is midfielder Andres Iniesta. He described the mantra repeated constantly at [...]

Tactical Point – When & Where

The lofted drive is the ideal pass to use when looking to spring an attacker behind the defence. These lofted drives are often played from defence over the top of the midfield and towards the forwards in a straight line up the pitch.
But a lofted drive is much more effective [...]