wall pass(the give-and-go)

simple version

One of the most effective passing techniques/tactics for soccer is the give-and-go pass. The give-and-go (or wall pass) is basic to the games of basketball, hockey as well as soccer. In simple terms, the player with the football passes to their teammate, who, at the beginning, is stationary. The receiving player is, in essence, the wall.

After a brief demonstration of the wall pass using stationary players it's time to add player movement. I would suggest for the younger levels that you start this drill with a coach acting as the wall to build success. Timing the run of the player is critical and takes a lot of demonstration and a lot of practice. The basic setup is shown below:

Player passes to the coach and immediately makes his run to the second cone on his side. The coach times the run so that the ball and the player arrive at the same time. If there are two coaches repeat the process. Otherwise have the players pull a move after they receive the ball and rejoin the line at the end.

Coaching Points

• Stress that the run is immediate. Do not watch the pass since once it has left your foot, there is nothing your eyes can do about affecting the flight of the ball

• Stress that the ball must be played with the proper weight so that it gets there, but doesn’t get there with so much pace that it cannot be handled

• Stress that the ball should be played to the foot that is open to the field. In the illustration above this would be the coach’s left foot. In that way the coach does not have to chop the ball across his body.

• Stress receiving the ball on the foot open to the field. In the illustration above that would be the receiving player’s right foot.

• Switch sides often so that both feet are used by the wall player and by the receiving player

Progressions

1. Once the timing aspect of the drill is understood and the players have achieved some measure of technical proficiency receiving the ball "on the fly", it is time to make a player the wall.

2. Start the drill in the same manner and work both feet.

3. Switch the wall player often

4. Add movement of the wall player.

After wall player makes his pass he makes a run to get the wall pass back from whom he passed it to. A second player steps in as the wall. This minimizes standing around.

1. Add a passive defender so that the players can see where the pass has to go and how the run affects the defender.. Generally the pass goes past the defender’s front and the run is made behind his back

2. Allow the defenders to attempt to intercept the pass. However since the defender "knows" the drill you now have to add movement on the player making the pass so that the defender has to concentrate not only on the pass but on the fact that the ball handler might dribble past them.