List of Soccer Passing Drills

• Grid Passing
• Guard the Castle
• Keep Away
• Meet the Ball
• Numbers Passing Drill
• One In One Out
• One-Touch Pairs
• Pass and Overlap
• Short, Short, Long
• Space Wars
• Switching Play
• Triangle Goal Game
• Two Teams One Touch
• Wall Pass

Grid Passing

Create two small grids with cones with one player inside each grid. Players will pass the ball to the other player who has to receive the ball inside of their grid and pass it back to the other player in either one or two touches. This will improve players’ passing accuracy and first-touch techniques.

Guard the Castle

In Guard the Castle, three attackers are trying to knock over a ball resting on a disc cone, while a singular defender guards the ball, or the “castle.” The drill will last until either the attackers can knock the ball over or the defender has successfully cleared the ball away.

Keep Away

Create a circle of 5-8 players and 2 players on the inside of the circle. Players on the outside of the circle have to pass it to each other without the defenders in the middle touching the ball. This is a great way to work on finding the right pass to make in tough situations.

Meet the Ball

This is a quick-moving drill that can get tiring fast! Two players stand about 20 feet apart from each other with soccer balls. A player in the middle will run between the two players and return passes to them using only one touch. Players should rotate between being the outside and inside passers every minute.

Numbers Passing Drill

The numbers passing drill features all members of the team spread out on the pitch. Each player will be assigned a number. The player assigned #1 will start the drill by passing the ball to the #2 player and then taking the #2 player’s spot. The #2 player then does the same, passing the ball to #3 and then running to take their spot. The drill ends when the last player passes the ball back to the #1 player and runs to their spot.

One In One Out

Create four lines all facing a central location, creating a square in the middle of the lines. One player will start in the middle. A player in one line will pass the ball to the middle, where the receiver will turn around 180 degrees and pass to the next line, then go to the end of that line. The passer will run into the middle, where they will receive a pass from the next line. This process continues until everyone on the team has been in the middle to receive a pass.

One-Touch Pairs

Each player pairs up with a teammate and lines up around 5-10 yards directly in front of them. To start the drill, one player will move forward while the other moves backward. While the players are moving, the players make one-touch passes to each other. Once the player moving backward gets to the end of the pitch, the partner will start moving backward. The drill ends when the player who originally was moving forward has returned to where they started.

Pass and Overlap

Separate the team into groups of three. These players then take turns passing the ball and overlapping one another until they get close to the goal. Whichever teammate gets to the penalty area first is allowed to attempt a score on goal.

Short, Short, Long

Set up two cones approximately 30 yards away from each other with two or more players at each cone. Players will alternate between kicking short and long passes in a pattern. This is a great drill to improve players’ long passing and one-touch passing skills.

Space Wars

In this drill, two teams are formed and players on both teams must simultaneously protect their balls while trying to knock out the balls of players on the opposing team. Whichever team knocks all of the other team’s balls out of the designated area first is declared the winner.

Switching Play

A small area of the field is separated into thirds by two rows of cones. In the middle area, between the cones, two defenders will try to stop the passage of balls. On either side of this area, three players each will try to pass a ball past the defenders and through the middle area.

Triangle Goal Game

For this drill, a triangle is set up in the middle of the pitch, usually using cones, with a goalkeeper in the middle of the triangle. Each team tries to keep possession of the ball and pass it through the triangle to score. There is also often a minimum number of passes a team must make to one another before they can attempt to pass through the triangle.

Two Teams One Touch

The objective of this drill is to practice one-touch passes. Players are separated into two teams, and each time tries to make as many one-touch passes as possible within a set time limit or a set score limit. Whichever team scores the most one-touch passes wins.

Wall Pass

This is a great drill for players who are training on their own. Stand about 8 feet away from a flat wall, pick a spot on the wall to pass to each time, and kick the ball to that spot. Depending on how hard you hit the ball, it will come back off the wall at a fast pace. This is a great way to practice one- and two-touch passes.