Coaching tools › Activities › Possession and passing

Wide Targets

By Gabe Ramos · U.S. Soccer Coach Educator · Updated November 2026

5v5 in the middle with a neutral target in a channel down each side. Score by getting the ball to one target, then the other, without losing it. Play near to pull them over, then go far.

Setup

A 35x25 with a 4-yard channel down each side. A neutral target in each channel. 5v5 in the middle.

How it works

• Score by passing to one target, then to the other, without losing the ball.
• Targets may run the length of their channel.
• Nobody enters a channel.

Scoring

First to five scores.

Make it easier or harder

• Progression 1: The pass between the targets must go through at least two inside players.
• Progression 2: Targets have one touch.

Coach’s notes

• If It Stalls: No switches? The same target may not be played twice in a row.

Why it works

Width only helps if the team uses both sides. This forces it. A team that keeps going to the same target scores nothing, and the channels keep the wide players safe enough to get on the ball.

Targets learn something useful too: moving to where the switch will land, not to where the ball is.

Where it sits

This is activity 44 of 100 in 100 Possession Activities (Theme 5 · Switching the Play). The book is ten themes of ten rungs each, from a 3v1 square to a full 9v9 transition game, and every activity has its setup, rules, scoring, two progressions, three coaching points and an animated video like the one above.

All switching the play drills ›

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