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Free activities · By topicPlaying through the lines
5 free, with video
Possession that stays in front of the other team is possession they are happy with. These drills teach players to find the pass between defenders, to receive in the pocket behind a line, and to keep the ball there.
What it means
A line is any row of defenders: their forwards, their midfield, their back line. Playing through it means a pass that goes between or past those players to a teammate behind them. One good pass can take several defenders out of the game, which is why teams that only pass in front of the defense rarely hurt anyone.
The habit behind it is Forward When It’s On, and the word that matters is when. The pass needs a receiver who arrives as the ball is played and a passer who sees the gap before it closes. Forcing it every time is as bad as never trying it.
What to coach
- Disguise it: look one way, play the other.
- Break the line with a pass along the ground, not a chip.
- Receiver: come to the ball as the pass is played.
- Follow your pass: numbers up on the far side.
The ladder
Every theme in 100 Possession Activities climbs the same way. Rungs 1 to 3 are rondos for the start of a session. Rungs 4 to 7 are the middle: direction, goals, decisions. Rungs 8 to 10 are games with one rule. These are free:
Rung 1 · 4v2Split the GateFour attackers around a 12x12 with two defenders standing as a gate in the middle, three yards apart.
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Rung 2 · 4+1 v 3Pocket RondoThree lines of cones split a 15x12 into thirds. Four attackers on the ends, one in the middle third with three defenders.
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Rung 3 · 4v4+2Three Zones ThroughThree zones and two neutrals. You can only score by going through the middle.
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Rung 4 · 6v4Break the LineKeep it, break the line, then follow your pass to make it 3v2.
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Rung 5 · 7v7Between the LinesScore by receiving between two lines of defenders and turning.
Open the activity ›Rungs 6 to 10 are in the book
- 6Third-Man Through5v3 · 8 players
- 7Vertical Rondo6v3 · 9 players
- 8Pockets to Goal6v5+GK · 12 players
- 9Play Through the Press8v8 · 16 players
- 10Lines Game9v9 · 18 players
Build a session from it
One idea, start to finish. Change the topic next week and keep the rondo.
- Start, 10 min: Split the Gate
- Middle, 20 min: Break the Line
- Middle, 20 min: Between the Lines
- Finish, 25 min or more: Play your normal game with one rule: a goal counts double if the move included a pass through the middle.
Keep going
Questions about through the lines
What does playing through the lines mean in soccer?
It means passing between or past a row of defenders to a teammate behind them, instead of moving the ball in front of the defense. It is the quickest way to take defenders out of the game.
How do you teach line-breaking passes?
Make the pass worth more than the safe one. In Split the Gate a pass through the gate is three points and a pass around it is one. Then add a zone to play into with Three Zones Through, and a run after the pass with Break the Line.
Why do my players always go around instead of through?
Going around is safe, and nobody gets yelled at for it. Change the scoring so that going through is the only way to win. In Three Zones Through, a direct pass from end to end does not count at all.
Or pick by number of players
Rungs 6 to 10 of this ladder are in the book
100 Possession Activities has all ten rungs of every theme, right up to the full game that keeps the idea alive. 115 pages and 100 animated videos, one activity per page. Print the page, watch the clip, run the session.