Y Passing Drill — Football Drill

Objective

Groove line-breaking combinations — bounce passes, set-backs and balls round the corner — with precise weight, first-touch direction and run timing on both sides of the body.

Setup

How it works

1. 1

   Build the Y

   Place cone A at the base with the ball queue, cone B 8m up the middle, and cones C and D branching 6m further at 45 degrees left and right. A mannequin behind B simulates the marker on the target player's back.

2. 2

   Run the basic pattern

   A drives a firm pass into B, who has checked away from the mannequin and come short. B sets the ball back at an angle with one touch, and A plays first time round the corner to C, who timed a short movement off his cone to receive on the move.

3. 3

   Rotate through the shape

   Everyone follows their pass: A jogs to B, B pushes on to C, and C carries the ball back to the queue at A. Alternate the final pass between C and D each round so the pattern opens out to both sides.

4. 4

   Switch the combination

   After five minutes, change the picture: B lets the set-back run across his body and spins in behind the mannequin, and A's second pass finds the spin instead of the wide cone.

5. 5

   Release the third man

   Final progression: A plays into B, B sets to A, A hits C — and as that pass travels, B spins beyond the mannequin so C can slide him in first time: the third-man release the drill has been building towards.

Coaching points

• ●

  Check away hard before coming to meet the ball — the two metres of separation created by that fake is what makes the bounce pass playable.

• ●

  Set-backs are cushioned with the instep at an angle, into the path of the incoming player, never straight back down the line the pass came from.

• ●

  Receive side-on at the branch cones so the ball can travel across your body and onward in a single touch.

• ●

  The run beyond must start while the set-back is travelling — leaving after the ball is released kills the third-man timing every time.

Variations