Pass Through the Gate

Objective

• Pass with the inside of the foot to a target, and control what comes back

Set-up and how it runs

• Set four gates in a line down the middle, each a different width: three yards, two and a half, two, a yard and a half.
• Three pairs work, one at each of the top three gates, standing five yards apart either side. The fourth gate stays spare.
• Pass through the gate to your partner, who controls it and passes back. Five passes each.
• When a pair finishes, they dribble to whichever gate is spare — every move changes how big the target is.

Equipment

• 8 cones (4 gates)
• A ball per pair

Coaching points

• Non-kicking foot pointing at your partner
• Inside of the foot, ankle locked — pass with the side, not the toe
• Firm enough to arrive, not so hard your partner can't stop it
• First touch out of your feet, then pass

Progressions

• Widen the pairs to ten yards apart
• Weak foot only
• Two touch, then one touch
• Add a fifth gate and a fourth pair, still one spare

What it develops

Technical

Passing and receiving

Psychosocial

Cooperation

Physical

Coordination and balance