Pass to the open player

WHY USE IT

This is easy to set up and excellent for fast feet, with players having to think and look to see where the spare player is.

SET UP

Minimum of four players and two balls. We used five players to show how it works. Set up one main cone for the working player and three other cones five yards away and three yards apart.

HOW TO PLAY

One player works, while the other four, with three balls between them, are playing the ball and receiving it. The working player must pass to the player without a ball each time. So, when the ball is played to the working player, they must already know which player hasn’t got a ball and play it to them. Then, the next player passes and, again, the working player must hit the player without a ball. Swap the working player every 30 seconds and see who can make the most passes in 30 seconds.

COACHING POINTS

• Look for good awareness of the open player and a good choice of pass, with emphasis on pass selection and first touch.
• Communication comes into this, too. Look for good speed of play, which should get faster as players work on the session.