Combinations Passing
This combinations passing exercise has been seen at a number of pro clubs but most notably at Ajax. It has multiple variations and helps develop quick combination play which is relevant to the game.
You need at least 8 players but if you have 16 or more, split them into two separate groups of 8. There are 4 players at one end, 2 players in the middle and 2 players at the other end.
Start off with players spaced around 5 yards apart but you can adjust this to any size up to about 15 yards apart.
The first variation has the players simply running straight without crossing over, as you see here. It is a simple one-touch layoff by both middle players.
The second variation is slightly more difficult and has the players crossover on the first pass. It’s basically an inverted or diagonal run and just gives the players something extra to think about while also increasing the speed of the player making the diagonal run to catch up.
Once your players are familiar and used to the exercise, push them to play one-touch, as Ajax are doing in the example.
If you make the space bigger, you have the option to work on fitness and longer passing; it’s up to you as the coach to adjust things and keep your players challenged and engaged.
Keep the length of each segment short, around 2 minutes, before rotating the middle players. The idea of keeping the length short is that you can push your players to really focus on speed and quality, rather than having a longer period where the quality and concentration levels may drop.
This is a great passing exercise to use as a warm up or in between more complex exercises to keep players sharp and maximize their touches.
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