As with any skill, practice makes progress. And when it comes to fine-tuning your abilities on the soccer pitch, improving your passing skills is instrumental. Regardless of your position, the ability to accurately pass the ball to your teammates (and seamlessly receive passes back to you) is key to making big plays — and ultimately scoring on your opponents to secure the win. To that end, we’ve tapped the University of Washington Women’s Soccer Team for five soccer passing drills that can help improve your game.
Whether you’re the captain of your team or just starting out, soccer drills for passing and moving are a great way to level up your skills as an individual player and as a team. Here are 5 passing drills you can try next time you hit the practice field:
1. Triangle Passing Drill
2. Diamond Passing Drill
3. Y Passing Drill
4. Progressive Passing Drill
5. Skill Box Passing Drill
Keep reading for a full breakdown on drill set-up and execution, plus pointers from the Huskies.
1. Triangle Passing Drill
- Equipment Required: 3 cones, 1 soccer ball (minimum)
- Number of Players: 3 (minimum)
First up, let’s learn the Triangle Passing Drill. This exercise improves player accuracy and spatial awareness. Since this drill creates a triangular shape with player positioning, they can learn how to maintain positional awareness as a group, make quick decisions under pressure, and create passing lanes — all of which helps in maintaining possession of the soccer ball and building an attack on goal.
Here’s how it works:
1. Arrange three cones in a triangle shape, about 12-15 yards apart. Place your ball at Cone 1.
2. Position one player at each cone. Consider Player 1 the player at Cone 1, Player 2 at Cone 2, and Player 3 at Cone 3. Any extra players can also be placed at Cone 1.
3. To kick off the drill, Player 1 passes the ball to Player 2 along the outside of the triangle.
4. Player 2 collects the ball, takes their first touch around Cone 2 and then passes to Player 3.
5. Player 3 passes back to Player 1 (or the first player in line at Cone 1 if there are more than 3 total players).
When performing this passing drill with three players, the players remain at their cone. When there are four or more players, each player will follow their pass. Thus, Player 1 becomes Player 2, Player 3 to Player 3, and Player 3 joins the end of the line at Cone 1. You can keep the drill dynamic by periodically changing the direction of the passes.
Top Player Tip: Focus on making quick and accurate passes and try to switch up which foot you use in your touches.
2. Diamond Passing Drill
- Equipment Required: 4 cones, 1 soccer ball
- Number of Players: 4 (minimum)
The Diamond Passing Drill helps players improve their quick one-two touch passing forward and backward. In a game setting, this is used to move the ball up the field while breaking opponents’ lines. For example, a forward pass to a player whose back is to the goal can draw a defender to them, thus creating a gap to play through. That gap can be utilized when the player passes backwards to a nearby teammate, who can then move forward with the ball to attempt an attack. Speaking of player position on the field, brush up on the rules of offsides here.
Let’s break down the drill:
1. Set up four cones, ten yards apart in a diamond shape.
2. Consider the cone at the bottom of the diamond Cone A, the cone to the right Cone B, The cone at the top Cone C, and the cone to the left Cone D. Position a player at each cone.
3. To start the drill, player at Cone A passes to the player at Cone B.
4. The player at Cone B checks away from their cone to receive the pass. Then, they’ll use a one touch pass to play the ball back to the player at Cone A.
5. The player at Cone A will step towards the pass to receive it, then use a heavier one touch pass to play the ball to the top of the diamond (Cone C). The player at Cone C should be on their toes and ready to receive the ball.
6. The player at Cone C will receive and control the ball with their first touch, then with their second touch pass to the player at Cone D.
7. The player at Cone D will then repeat the movements carried out by the player at Cone B, checking out away from their cone to receive the ball and using a one touch pass to connect back to the player at Cone C.
To maximize variations amongst the players, the players at Cone A and Cone C can rotate after completing one round of the drill; same thing with the players at Cone B and D.
Top Player Tip: Communicate with your voice and hand signals where you would like the ball to be played when receiving a pass. Also, open your body shape to the player passing the ball, and to your destination when you pass the ball.
3. Y Passing Drill
- Equipment Required: 4 cones, 1-2 soccer balls
- Number of Players: 4 (minimum)
Let’s get into the Y Passing Drill next. When considering soccer drills for passing and moving, this is one to try for working on passing accuracy, movement of the ball, and quick decision-making in tight spaces. It will also help players work on their first touch from a variety of passes and body positioning. The Y Passing Drill mimics real-game scenarios where players need to advance the ball with precision, moving and adapting along the way to ensure clean passes, receive hard balls, and create scoring opportunities.
Here’s how it works:
1. Arrange four cones in the shape of a Y, each cone about 10-15 yards apart.
2. Consider the cones Cone 1, 2, 3, and 4. Position a player at each cone, consider the players according to their cone; Player 1 is at Cone 1 and so on.
3. Place the ball and any extra players at Cone 1 at the bottom of the Y.
4. To start, Player 1 at the bottom of the Y passes to Player 2 at the middle of the Y.
5. Player 2 receives the ball and with open body positioning passes to the Player at Cone 3 (top right of the Y).
6. Player 3 receives the pass and dribbles down to Cone 1 at the bottom of the Y.
7. Next, repeat those steps, but this time, Player 2 will pass to the player at Cone 4 (top left of the Y).
Create a rotation by having players follow their pass each time. This will allow them to take turns at each position in the Y.
Top Player Tip: This drill moves quickly, so players should focus on timing and body positioning to ensure they can receive the ball with control to quickly transition to the next phase of play.
4. Progressive Passing Drill
- Equipment Required: 4 cones, 1-2 soccer balls
- Number of Players: 5 (minimum)
This Progressive Passing exercise sharpens several crucial soccer skills that apply to the game. Players must focus on making precise passes and getting timing right to maintain possession. This drill also highlights ball movement, teaching players to keep their body stances open to receive passes and create space, and enhances vision and decision-making, so players can learn to find open teammates and gaps in defense. Lastly, encouraging team coordination and communication trains players to do so in game settings. Put all that together, and you’ve got a drill that fine-tunes your ability to advance the ball and create scoring opportunities.
How to run the drill:
1. Arrange four cones in a straight line, 10 yards apart for a total distance of 40 yards.
2. Position one player at each of the four cones, with any extra players in line at Cone 1.
3. Start the drill with Player 1 passing up the line to Player 2, who separates from their cone in one direction with an open body position to pass to Player 3.
4. Player 3 should receive the ball on the opposite side of their cone, then passes to Player 4 following the same zigzag, cross-cone pattern.
5. Player 4 separates from their position at the top cone and receives the ball, then plays a long pass back down to the starting cone.
6. Each player should follow their pass. The drill continues as players in line at Cone 1 initiate the sequence.
Alternate between passing to the left and the right in the first pass of the sequence so players can practice different angles and longer passes with each foot. Players can also experiment with different long passes, like driven, lofted, and bent passes.
Top Player Tip: Teaching players to separate from their starting positions with an open body stance is crucial for this drill. It’ll ensure they can effectively receive their pass and create space to pass.
5. Skill Box Passing Drill
- Equipment Required: 8 cones, 1 soccer ball
- Number of Players: 2 (minimum)
Meet the Skill Box Passing Drill — a fundamental exercise that focuses on enhancing player accuracy, ball control, and spatial awareness. By working within a confined space, players must develop quick decision-making skills and the ability to control the ball to maintain possession under pressure. Naturally, that comes in handy during game scenarios where players need to execute precise passes and navigate tight spaces.
Run the drill:
1. Use four cones to create a five-by-five square, and four cones to create another identical square15 yards away.
2. Position a player in each square, consider one Player 1 and another Player 2.
3. To kick off, Player 1 passes to Player 2, who receives the ball inside their square and takes a controlled first touch to exit the square.
4. With their second touch, Player 2 plays a precise pass back into Player 1’s square.
5. Just like Player 2 did, Player 1 receives the pass in the square then exits to pass back.
6. Continue this passing sequence for five sets of 1-minute “games” or until one player misses their pass or takes more than two touches.
Top Player Tip: When passing, aim for your teammate's feet to ensure good ball control. When receiving, practice trapping the ball with a soft touch to maintain possession.
Trust Your Teammates
At every level of play, all your hours on the pitch can’t amount to much without developing strong bonds as a team. While these soccer passing drills sharpen your technique, they equally encourage improved teamwork and communication — so lean in and lean on your teammates to grow together.