One of the great advantages of our GameCraft programme, is that your players get used to passing quickly and in tight spaces, eventually becoming second nature to them. Good, quick accurate passes gets individuals out of trouble, creates chances and is great to watch. Players still need to develop this skill to know when and how to use it to have the greatest impact.
Quick passes and playing forwards reduces the risk of giving away possession, but increases the number of attacking opportunities in the attacking phases.
Generally the sidefoot (inside of the foot) provides the greatest accuracy, although sometimes more difficult to generate power. It's also easy for your oppenents to identify where you intend to pass. As your players progress introduce other parts of the foot, this will help disguise the intended pass.
In the session below, we're looking for three passes between players, the safe players (either side of the zone) who provide unapposed support to maintain possession when situations demand. Once the passes are completed one player plays forward to one of the players external to the grid by the cone. The player then sprints out, the recieving player drives forward with the ball and picks a pass back into the grid to the same colour team, or into the safe player.
As you will see in the videos below, due to the player rotations, there will be a natural overload created, providing greater success to the team in possession, but then quickly becomes equal numbers again within the grid making it more challenging.
If players are finding maintaining the ball difficult, play at walking speed, provide insight to where players can move to providing options. Alternativley allow for interceptions only in order to regain possession. Once the players become more comfortable on the ball and with their movement allow the players to compete for the ball.
Take this as a starting point, adapt to suit the needs of your players. You can easily turn this into a wave practise by having a permanent overload in the square. Time each team for two minutes and see how many reputitions they can make.
The playing area is 20x20 yards with 5 yard channels either side and cones placed centrally 10 yards away from the playing area.
