Games to encourage the killer pass

At any level of the game a killer pass that sets up a goalscoring chance is vital to create a successful team and is the finishing touch if you are playing a possession or counter attacking game.

If you are playing 5v5 or 7v7 and there are no offsides it is a no brainer! Get players running into the final third and pass the ball from the wings or through the middle and you'll more than likely have a chance on goal.

Your players need to be a bit more clever when there are offsides with timing and direction of runs but any ball that gets your strike force behind a defence is a nightmare for the opposition.

At the end of the day it is a vital core skill that opens up the opposition – and as such it needs players to practice the skill so when they come to executing it they can do it without having to think.

I love seeing my players passing the ball into space for their team mates to run onto and then supporting the play looking for a rebound off the goalie or the goalposts. I can guarantee your players will score more goals if they can play clever killer passes.

You could make this core skill really work for your team if you run the following training sessions:

Start as I often do in my training sessions with a rondo. Creative play in and around the final third needs players to see opportunities to get the ball through to attackers behind the defence which is why a rondo is perfect for perfecting through passes. Final pass rondo highlights the accuracy and weight of pass needed.

Linked to the passes that are encouraged in the rondo, Line breaking passes puts the key pass into a game situation and helps to create a picture in young players so they see the pass during a game before they play it.

Also key to seeing the pass is the game Passing circles. it is about retaining possession and finding players in key positions – important for teams that have the lion’s share of possession in games yet find the opposition denying them space in the final third. The final pass is key to finding the player in the best position to score a goal.

Finally, one of my favourite sessions for playing the final pass is Pass to find the striker, which creates situations where the pass must be clever, accurate and easy for the receiving player to take a touch and shoot. It is a session all my players have always found to be good fun and they always want to carry on playing it when the session has finished.

Final pass Rondo
Line breaking passes
Passing circles
Pass to find the striker