Passing

What is Possession with a Purpose in Soccer?

We’ve written about keeping possession and how to do it for a team’s success in soccer, but it’s important to understand that this doesn’t mean that all passes are equal.

Instead, you hear that teams not only need to know how to keep the ball, but that they need to achieve “possession with a purpose.”

What does this mean and how can you improve your ability to do it, both individual and as part of your team? This article will dig into the details.

Why is Possession Important and What is its True Purpose?

Finding the “purpose” of possession requires us to step back and consider our overall mission as a team trying to win a soccer game.

Unlike certain possession drills, ten passes don’t give us a point in the real world. What does give us a point, however, is scoring goals.

So working backwards from that objective, the purpose of possession is to generate scoring chances.

It’s unlikely that a single pass will completely open up your opposition and allow you to break through and score*, so this is why a series of passes in succession, otherwise known as keeping possession, is necessary.

An in-depth article on possession on the website American Soccer Analysis describes the first half of the “strategic attacking process” as:

Gain possession of the ball
Retain possession and move the ball
Penetrate & create goal scoring opportunities

So these steps give us some key aspects of possession that we’ll need in order to do it with a purpose, like moving the ball in order to achieve penetration. In the next section we will dig deeper into these ideas.

*Another important factor is the place on the field where you gain possession. For example, if you press high and win the ball from the opponent deep in their defensive third, then one pass may indeed be all you need in order to generate a scoring chance. But this is a starting point that is much less common.

How Do You Identify Possession Without Purpose?

Sometimes in soccer a good way to understand a particular concept is to see the opposite in action. So in this case, what does possession without purpose look like?

Even at the professional level, we can identify teams doing this. In fact it can be quite prevalent because defenses are often drilled to apply just the right type of press to make a lesser team uncomfortable when on the ball.

A team in possession without purpose will usually look pretty similar. First, you’ll see that the bulk of their possession is in their own defensive third, since this is where they have a numbers up advantage and it’s also the least dangerous area for the opposition.

Possession without purpose will mean less movement of the ball, so the passes will normally not travel a great distance and will not move into new areas. And more importantly, there will be little to no penetration in the passing. You’ll see lateral passes straight across followed by negative passes backwards to a defender or the goalkeeper. These passing patterns will be fairly predictable to spot.

In contrast, let’s discuss what it would look like if that team does achieve purpose in their possession. First, there will be significantly more movement of the ball into new areas. Think of the right back playing a long switching pass across the whole field to the left back or a midfielder. In general, players will look to pass “between the lines” which means behind a line of the opposition, usually the midfield or defense.

What Skills and Drills Can Help You (and Your Team) Possess with a Purpose?

There are a few fundamental soccer skills that are necessary to possess with a purpose. One is movement: you need to be able to make the right types of runs not simply to get open for a pass, but to break lines so that you pass and receive in a dangerous position behind the midfield or defense.

In order to play the right passes you of course need the technical foot skills to do it, including accuracy with all surfaces and the ability to use both feet. You also need to build good habits like keeping your head up, taking a look over your shoulder, and playing quickly.

There are also particular drills to practice possession as a team which will help you start to possess with a purpose. As a general principle, any possession drill that requires moving the ball from one area to another will help with possessing with a purpose.

The drill might be that you score a point by passing into and receiving the ball in an “end zone” that is marked off with cones. You may also mark off a series of 3 zones that each team must pass through in order to get a point. There also may be a required number of passes in one grid before the team must switch the play over to another grid where additional players are waiting. You can also set up a game with goals and goalkeepers where some of these objectives must be achieved before that team can shoot on goal. Overall, there are nearly endless variations, but all of these will help you possess with a purpose as a team.

We hope this article was helpful in understanding the purpose of possession and how to start doing it as both an individual and a team. If you have any questions or other ideas, let us know in the comments below.

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Soccer Possession Drills: Best Exercises to Learn to Keep the Ball

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

rondo 4v2 5v2 Passing is a fundamental individual skill in soccer, but when the whole team gets in on the act, it becomes something much greater than the sum of its individual parts.

Possession is a key metric for team success, a requirement for scoring goals, and something that you need to be able to do well as a team, regardless of what any particular game plan is going to look like.

You may think that you need a whole team to work on possession, but this is not necessarily the case. In fact, one of the more popular possession exercises involves just 6 players. There are endless variations of adding numbers in different situations, though, so you can certainly utilize any higher number of players that you happen to have.

Let’s start with what teams and players most commonly do to work on their possession skills.

Rondos, 4v2, 5v2 and (Much) More

The most basic possession exercise has quite a few variations and you may call it a few different names.

Some refer to it as rondos, while others prefer to name the number of players who are serving in the drill, like 4v2 which indicates 6 players (this is the drill we referred to above). It’s closely related to some much simpler games that just about all of us are familiar with: keep away (aka “monkey in the middle”).

But no matter what you call it, the drill involves setting up a square area for playing. It is also characterized by a numbers up situation for the attackers (otherwise possession would be far too difficult to keep).

So in the most common example, we have 4 players on offense and 2 on defense, or 4v2. The offensive players usually start stationed on the outside of the square, while the defensive players start in the middle of the square.

To play, the offensive players try pass and keep the ball away from the defenders, who in turn try to intercept the ball and take possession.

If a pass is intercepted, the player in the middle switches to the outside and player who made the pass goes into the middle. Also, if a pass goes outside the square, then the player at fault (either the one who played a bad pass or failed to receive the ball properly) goes in the middle and the defender who has been in the middle the longest goes out.

Setting a Technical/Tactical Goal for Small Sided Possession Games

In these types of drills, possession is obviously the ultimate goal. But there’s more to it than just dinking the ball around. It’s important to have a purpose to work towards as you play. There are plenty of possibilities for what this could look like.

For example, the goal could be taking extra care to play the ball across your teammate’s body to their opposite foot so they can open up as they receive it.

It might simply be keeping your feet moving when anticipating a pass. Or picking your head up and scanning around before receiving a pass so you have a better idea of where you’re going to go with it.

For the defense, a goal might be communication between the two players, always saying who is going to press and who is going to cover.

There are many different types of benefits to rondos that have been studied extensively.

Variations on Possession Drills

We’ve already hinted at one variation that you can do: change up the number of players on offense and defense. 5v2 is another common one, and you can try playing with 1 or 3 defenders as well.

If you’re tweaking the number of players in the possession drill, then you’ll also want to consider varying up the size of the playing area. In general a smaller square makes it more challenging to keep possession and leads to quicker passing, while a larger field gives players more time and can get in more touches. (You can quickly set up soccer cones or extra shoes and move them to your heart’s desire.)

Offensive Link in the Middle: One possession drill that we like is used with a slightly larger square (or circle) and has one of the offensive players play in the middle and try to link play from one side to the other.

This will have them checking to the players on the outside, receiving the ball with a defender at their back, and either turning and dribbling or finding another open pass.

Other variations on these drills can incorporate larger numbers of players, which we’ll explore in the next section.

Larger Sided Possession Drills

You can take the main concept of the numbers up possession situation of a rondo and apply it to a bigger group. One good way to do this is the 4v4+3 possession drill.

To do this drill, use a larger area but make it somewhat rectangular. You are playing 4 offense versus 4 defense with three neutral (or all time offense) players who do not switch. Here when possession is lost, the whole team of 4 switches to defense and the defense becomes the offense.

Switching Possession Game: Another good drill to play involves two rectangles side by side. Play 4v2 or 5v2 in one rectangle with one offensive player alone in the other rectangle. If the offensive players get to a certain number of passes, they try to switch the ball over to the target player and if successful, everyone moves over to the other area to continue the game (minus one offensive player who stays and becomes the new target player).

There are also lots of different tweaks you can make to this type of switching game too; the sky is the limit!

Fun Possession Games and Challenges

Just because you aren’t playing a regular full team scrimmage doesn’t mean that you can’t make your possession drill just as fun as a game.

Passes = a point: One easy way to turn nearly any drill into a game is to say that a particular number of passes (5, 10, 12, etc.) will earn you a point. Sometimes a bonus can be given for a pass that “splits” the two defenders.

However, with any type of rondo in which offensive and defensive players switch frequently, it can be difficult to try to keep score.

So in these cases, another way to do it is not to switch when the ball is lost, but rather award the defensive team a point if they win the ball and resume play.

Find a fair number of passes for the offense to get a point and you have a challenge: which team can get to 5 or 10 points first.

Passing into Squares: Another good drill is to set up a few smaller squares inside the larger area which serve as target areas. The offensive team tries to complete a pass to a teammate who receives it inside the square.

To up the motivation levels even more, you can incorporate shooting on goal with possession drills.

You can set up any size grid and either a numbers up (like 6v4) or even (like 7v7) number of players. Your “goals” can be cones, or you can use actual goals to shoot on. Common parameters include making the team that is up numbers get to a particular number of passes before they can move towards and shoot on goal. The team that is numbers down usually is allowed to shoot any time they win the ball due to their disadvantage. You can also incorporate all of the other concepts like adding 2 or 3 neutral players. You can even set up two fields side by side, each with goals, and have your players switch sides as in the previously described exercise.

As you’ve hopefully seen by now, there is no shortage of possession drills that you can work on as a soccer team, from the basic 4v2 rondo up to a much larger exercise with the whole team and even goals.

If your team works on practicing possession, which drills have been your favorite?

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How to Get Better At Passing in Soccer

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

soccer passing

When you’re dedicating yourself to soccer training in order to get better on the field, the most “fun” skills to practice might be shooting and dribbling.

After all, who doesn’t want to weave through hapless defenders and fire shots into the goal?

But if you want to make the most significant improvements to your game, then passing is a crucial skill to work on.

Why is this?

For several reasons, really. First, passing is the fastest way to move the ball from one point on the field to another, much quicker than dribbling, in fact.

Passing also helps your team keep the ball, and the ability to possess is an essential skills of just about every successful team.

But this goes far beyond just passing around for passing’s sake.

Instead, possession helps break down defenses and generate scoring chances; it helps you involve more players on your team when they are in advantageous positions; and it can even be a defensive act in order to relieve pressure from the other team or recycle possession into a new area.

On an individual level, passing is such a fundamental soccer skill because it has so much variation.

Passing utilizes all surfaces of both feet. The ball can travel only a few feet or all the way across the field or vertically up to an attacker from defense or midfield.

It can be on the ground, in the air, a lob, a chip, a driven ball, even a backheel.

So if you work towards getting better at passing, this variety will help turn you into a much more well-rounded player who can be confident of playing exactly the right type of ball at the right time.

The rest of this article will go over how you can improve your passing, including some drills and exercises you can work on to hone this skill.

The Essentials of a Good Pass: Pace (Weight) and Direction

In order to be a good passer of the ball, you need to make sure you utilize correct pace and direction.

The pace or weight of your pass is referring to the power it is passed with, so that it does not die before reaching its destination but is also not too difficult for its recipient to control.

The direction of your pass is more than just whether it is forward, backward, or lateral. It’s also about where your teammate will be receiving it. Proper direction is usually into space, and allows them to receive it across their body.

You’ve probably heard of a “hospital ball” which means it is does not have the right pace and direction and instead puts the recipient directly into trouble, often colliding with an opponent.

Proper passes, on the other hand, get your teammate into good positions.

How to Improve Your Passing Skills

There are lots of ways you can get better at passing, so no matter what situation you find yourself in, you can work on it.

It’s great if you have a partner to practice with, as there are nearly endless variations of partner passing you can work on.

Partner Passing Exercises

One of the most important principles is to pass the ball while it’s moving as much as you can. This helps simulate a game-like situation. It’s also crucial to work on passing with your non-dominant or weak foot so that you can confidently pass when it is your best option during a game.

We recommend starting close together with two-touch passing on the ground, using both feet to receive the ball and pass.

With your partner, by passing with the inside of your foot, but then work in the outside of your foot, both to control the ball and then to pass.

After working on this for a while, switch to one touch passing (again with both feet).

Be sure to keep your feet moving (by basically running in place) after the pass while you are waiting to get it back.

Also pay close attention to your form; for example making sure your plan foot is close enough to the ball and pointed to your target, and following through with your passing leg.

Then mix things up by backing up so you are playing longer passes to your partner. (You can choose the exact distances) Once you are at least 20 feet apart or more, start passing the ball in the air. Try driving the ball with pace, and chipping it too. Aim so that the ball ideally drops right on your partner’s foot, not too high or too low.

Another variation is to pass and move, by having both partners jog around a designated area while they pass.

Another great drill is partner passing drill Brazilians, which gets you quite a bit of movement as well. To do it, face your partner and make sure there is a large space behind one of you.

Choose one player to run forward and the other to backpeddle, so you keep the same rough distance from each other as you move across the field or open area.

The player running forward passes the ball on the ground, and the other cushions it and stops it while running backwards. When you get to the edge of the area you’re playing in, switch roles and repeat the exercise going back to where you started. As with all other passing drills, make sure to use both feet.

Individual Passing Drills You Can Do Without a Partner

If you don’t have anyone to practice with, try passing against a wall if you have one available. You can do most of the partner passing drills (varying the surface of your foot, one and two touch, on the ground and in the air and the distance of the pass).

The only thing you can’t do, obviously, is get the wall to move around with you. And you’re limited to how much you can vary your receiving since you’re limited to how your pass comes off the wall, but get creative.

Since you don’t have a teammate to aim for, try to designate an exact spot on the wall to aim for that can stand in for your teammate’s foot. Be extremely strict about your accuracy as you go through the drills.

And what if you don’t have a wall or similar surface? There are still plenty of ways to practice passing!

One that we like involves taking a cone, second soccer ball, shoe, or other item about 10 yards away from you. This object will be about the width of a player’s foot so it will stand in as your teammate.

Here you can pass the ball (ideally moving) along the ground and try to hit your target. You can even make this a game: start hitting your target from 10 yards away, and then move back 5 yards until you get to 30-40 away. Also work on passing the ball in the air to hit your target.

We hope this article has helped you understand the importance of becoming a better passer, and given you plenty of practical ways to practice this crucial skill no matter your training environment. If you have any questions or comments about passing, let us know in the comments below.

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Soccer Fundamentals Explained: The Best Skills to Have and How to Improve Them

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

There are a variety of skills that everyone needs to master in order to be successful playing soccer. You likely have heard coaches or other people in the game calling these skills the “soccer fundamentals” which are particularly important.

Some of these skills are fairly obvious. For example, even if you’re a beginner I’m sure you know the importance of knowing how to pass the ball.

But what exactly makes something a fundamental skill, and more importantly, what can you do as a player to learn these fundamentals most effectively?

For Beginners: What Are these Fundamentals Anyway?

There’s no soccer coaching body that publishes an agreed-upon list of a set number of “fundamentals.” If you search online or read a stack of soccer coaching books, you’ll find a widely varying number of them, as well as some discrepancies as to what gets counted as a fundamental.

But there are commonalities that you’ll see almost everywhere. These are the key skills that all players need to master no matter the level they are at or the positions which they are playing.

We briefly describe each soccer fundamental here, with some links into other articles that go into more detail on each skill. I will say that fundamentals are much different for goalkeepers; this article is talking about field players.

Fundamental #1: Passing

What’s the quickest way to get the ball from Point A to Point B on the field? Some may think it’s by dribbling, but passing the ball is the fastest and most efficient way to move it across the field.

This helps get more teammates involved at key positions on the field, break down the defense, and ultimately get the ball in dangerous attacking positions.

In other situations, passing can actually be more of a defensive move, allowing you to relieve pressure from the opponent and catch your breath while preparing to gear up for your next move up the field.

At a most basic level, any time your team is in possession of the ball and passing it around, the opposing team is chasing and getting tired, which gives you the advantage.

Any great team is able to pass the ball at a high level (even if they ultimately decide to favor other parts of the game in their tactics), and thus any great player needs to be proficient in passing.

This is why we consider passing among the most important of fundamental skills and something that every player, regardless of position, needs to spend a lot of time refining.

Fundamental #2: Receiving/First Touch

This is the other side of passing; the player who receives the pass. You may know this skill as “trapping” but that term has fallen out of favor because it signified stopping the ball dead. Receiving, on the other hand, is getting the ball under your control in a fluid motion so you can make your next move.

We’ve included first touch in here too which is a related but slightly different idea. Your first touch is not just when you receive a pass by a teammate, but any time you gain possession of the ball, be it from a crisp pass or a awkwardly bouncing ball.

Fundamental #3: Dribbling

Although passing is a more efficient team strategy for moving the ball, any good player also needs to be confident in their ability to dribble.

By dribbling you can take players on and get past them. You can dribble to create your own shot. You can even get yourself out of a dangerous situation or tight space by moving into a better position.

In short, it’s about as fundamental a skill as you can get, and one that all players need to work on and master.

Fundamental #4: Shooting

Some may challenge the idea that shooting is something that all players need to learn how to do well, and thus question its fundamental status. After all, isn’t it just forwards who need to know how to shoot?

This is incorrect.

Midfielders regularly get up into the attacking third and need to be ready to shoot when they have the space and opportunity. Most defenders will do the same on occasion, and will also likely find themselves in the opposing team’s box on corners and other set pieces.

With this in mind, it’s still very important that defenders and midfielders learn to shoot with proper form, because they may only get one chance to do it and need to be ready to take advantage.

Fundamental #5: Defending

Similar to shooting, defending is another fundamental skill that some mistakenly think is only for defenders.

But defending happens in all areas of the field and needs to be done by all players. A forward who loses the ball needs to apply the right pressure so the team can win it back. Every player needs to have the skills to put in a strong tackle when defending.

Fundamental #6: Heading

Heading is another key skill that is necessary for all players, no matter their position. It’s a diverse skill: forwards head the ball for a shot on goal; midfielders jockey to win airballs in the center of the pitch; and defenders must head the ball out of their box and into safety.

In addition, learning proper heading form is extra important because repeated improper heading can increase the risk of concussions and even brain damage. As the safety of heading continues to be investigated, there may be changes to it, especially at the youth levels.

Drills for Learning Soccer Fundamentals

There are countless ways to improve these fundamentals. You naturally work on them in game situations, with the benefit that you will experience them in realistic situations and naturally connected to each other.

But games and scrimmages aren’t enough for working on your fundamentals. A full sided game won’t give you enough touches and repetition of any skill to make a major difference all by itself.

Instead, you need to work on these skills in isolation. If you’re on a team with a good coach, he or she should already be designing drills that work on these skills. These might include give and gos with a partner; dribbling at a cone and performing a move; or 1v1 challenges.

But in addition, it’s a great idea to work on these fundamental skills through individual training.

Best Ways to Improve Soccer Fundamentals By Yourself

For passing, you can practice with a partner if you have one, or you can pass against a wall or a soccer rebounder. Make sure you’re using both feet, and passing with all surfaces. Work on passing on the ground as well as driving and chipping balls.

Pass with the inside of your foot, the outside, and the laces. Pass one touch, and two touch while receiving the ball with multiple surfaces as well. This helps you work on two fundamental skills at once.

When you’re receiving the ball and working on a proper first touch, make sure you stay on your toes and keep your head up. You also want to work on receiving the ball across your body and receiving the ball on the short hop

Dribbling is the easiest fundamental skill to practice by yourself. You can dribble around your yard, or even around your house or apartment. As with passing and receiving, make sure you are using all surfaces including the inside, outside, and laces. Work on dribbling through a set of cones or other objects, and work on performing a move while dribbling, like feints, cuts and step-overs.

For shooting, take a look at our article on How to Practice Shooting by Yourself at Home for plenty of ideas.

These are only a few ways to get started practicing your soccer fundamentals. What other ways do you know of honing these crucial skills?

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How to Boost Confidence When Playing Soccer

By Parker & Walsh 3 Comments

soccer dribbling confidence skill

Confidence is an important ingredient of becoming a better soccer player. Without believing in yourself and your abilities, it will be much more difficult to achieve your potential on the pitch.

But what does that mean in a practical sense? What can you actually do to improve your confidence in your own game?

This article will focus on four things to work on that we’ve found to most significantly improve your confidence in soccer: improving fitness, completing passes, juggling, and building the habit of dribbling a soccer ball everywhere.

One of the best ways to boost your confidence in being fit in soccer. Fitness improves your touch, your communication skills, and your overall enjoyment of the game. First, fitness improves your touch because when you are fit you are better able to move your feet to get yourself in the correct position to receive the soccer ball, which is across your body. Receiving the ball across your body means that if the pass is coming from your left, you receive the ball with your right foot facing the direction you are attacking. Receiving the ball across your body allows for you to see the entire field and pick out the right pass to complete every time, which in turn will give you confidence.

Fitness improves your communication because you will have the energy to communicate with your teammates. Talking on the soccer field takes a lot of work and energy. You and your teammates should be communicating the entire match because the game is free-flowing and the ball is constantly moving. When you are tired, your energy is spent on running and trying to focus on your touch instead of communicating with your teammates to break down the opposing team or stop the other team from scoring.

Fitness also improves your overall enjoyment of the game. The average professional soccer player runs between 7 and 9 1/2 miles in a single, 90 minutes match. This a lot of running, so if you are not fit to complete this amount of running, soccer is going to be hard and not as fun for you. Struggling make runs late in games or keep up with your mark can be extremely frustrating.

Another way to boost your confidence is to complete your passes, especially your first pass. The secret to completing your first pass to play a simple pass the way you are facing. A simple pass is a short pass on the ground where there are no defenders between the ball and your teammate. If you play the way you face, you will not have to turn and find a pass: you should already have a passing option in your line of sight. Completing passes is a big confidence-booster and allows your team to keep possession. Trying to force a difficult pass right off the bat can lead to a lost ball and frustration among you and your teammates.

Juggling can boost your confidence because it’s another tried and true way to improve your touch. Juggling helps you concentrate on each touch and make sure it’s a good one because you need to keep your ankle locked and kick the ball appropriately. Also, juggling helps put a little pressure on you with each touch as you reach a goal or personal record, and dealing with that pressure in a casual situation will help once you’re out in the pitch. Being comfortable manipulating the ball is very important and juggling helps that greatly.

Lastly, working on dribbling a soccer ball everywhere you can will also boost your confidence. Building a habit of dribbling in your backyard, around the local park, or even in your house will help you learn to manipulate the ball in tighter spaces without having to think about it. The more you are comfortable with the ball at your feet without having to look down and stare at it, the better you will be. Your head will be up allowing you to find your open teammates and see defenders coming. This is advice that goes beyond your formal soccer practices and games: by dedicating yourself to working on your dribbling when you have a few spare minutes can help take you to the next level, and after the habit is ingrained in you you’ll see a significant improvement in your confidence level.

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Doing the Little Things in Soccer

By Parker & Walsh Leave a Comment

In sports you may have heard coaches saying that a particular player “does all the little things correctly.”

It’s a nice sounding phrase, but not very specific. What, exactly, are these little things the coach is talking about?

In soccer, there are all kinds of “little things” you can do.

Just because they are referred to as “little” does not mean that they are not important.

On the contrary, these maneuvers and tactics help you stand out as a player and also have a positive effect on your teammates.

The little things include things like staying on your toes (having a bounce in your step)

passing the ball and not just kicking

being courteous when passing to your teammates by using appropriate pace and direction so your teammate can receive it

cushioning the ball and not letting it hit your foot

using the correct technique to pass the ball every time

telling your teammate “man on,” “turn,” which way to force the ball, or if there is player moving into their zone by saying “right “or “left shoulder”

winning 50/50 balls

making the right passes

jumping first to win balls in the air

This is by no means a complete list, and by this point, you should understand that making a conscious effort in just about any aspect of soccer can be considered “doing the little things.”

When you train, no matter if it’s in your backyard, at a high school practice, at academy practice or indoors, you must concentrate on doing these little things correctly.

I believe that doing the little things correctly can take you a long way.

These techniques are often minor, but if you cannot do the little things the right way, then how are you supposed to do big things correctly?

These “little things” come into play in crucial moments of a soccer game.

For example, pretend the game is on the line and you need to complete a final pass to your teammate who’s in position to score the goal that will win you the game.

In order for the ball to get there and even give your team a chance at winning you must first use correct form to pass the ball and use the right pace: two of the “little things” we’re talking about.

These tips may be “little,” but when applied in a game situation they become vitally important.

Be sure to take care of the little things, and the “big things,” for both you and your team, will follow.