Technical Skills for Soccer: Passing and Receiving

To achieve success and play faster, players must know how to receive and pass the ball accurately, effectively and efficiently under pressure. Using technical execution in isolation, Corbin Stone shares coaching points and highlights the mechanics involved in performing various passing and receiving techniques. He breaks down how to properly pass the ball over a short distance and long distance, the proper technique to strike a ball with the inside and outside portion of your feet, and how to make a ball you've just received go in the direction you want.

Coach Stone begins with live practice footage of his youth team. Then, moving through an analysis of practice footage of older players and finally on to his own real-time, slow-motion demonstrations of the techniques being emphasized, he provides thorough, detailed instruction in six areas:

Inside Foot Passing
Coach Stone breaks down the proper way to approach a ball and how to keep it on the ground. He also discusses how to open up your ankle and knee, which are important to keeping the ball on the ground and striking through the middle of the ball.

Outside Foot Passing
In this progression from the inside foot, Coach Stone shares passing drills using the outside portion of the foot, which can create deception during a game. He shows how to bend the ball around a defender or into a player's run. Again, the approach to the ball is important. A straight on approach makes it harder for the defender to tell which foot you will use to pass.

Passing Over Distance on the Ground
The passing drill teaches players how to keep the ball on the ground over a certain distance. To be able to keep the ball on the ground is important for the receiving player. The technique used is to approach the ball at an angle or straight on.

Passing Over Distance in the Air
In the air it's important to swing from the hip and get your foot underneath the ball to make it airborne. Follow through and point of contact is also important, as this segment demonstrates.

Receiving the Ball on the Ground
This receiving drill is done using the inside part of your foot and opening your body. It's also effective for making the first touch away from a defender to set up the next pass or dribble.

Receiving the Ball out of the Air
In this partners' drill, one player serves and the other player works on the technique. After the ball has been served, the receiver takes it out of the air with their chest or foot. The two techniques used in this drill are the inside part of the foot and outside part of the foot to touch away from pressure.

Using clear, effective language and a blend of practice footage, video analysis, and real-time, slow motion demonstration, Coach Stone gives you and your players a wealth of resources for improving two essential components of the modern game.

64 minutes. 2015.