Passing Technique

To Pass Like Pros, Run Like A Pro

    I used to marvel at the ball pros would play from the center circle toward the end line, on the ground, that looked like a yo-yo on a string; the ball would fly off the passer's foot, but then appear to almost stop on a dime directly in front of the receiver near the end line.  What has come much more clear of late, as I watch more professional soccer and with a much more critical eye, is that the ball is smashed with all due pace.  What make the illusion of the string being pulled tight behind the ball, bringing it to a halt is the speed with which the receiver is pursuing the pass.  The run (which nearly always dictates the pass!) is made a such a speed, even a pass struck at full power is caught.



    In this sense, a good analogy is the competition Tom Brady and Randy Moss used to have when they were teammates in New England.  Tom would take a snap in practice, set his feet and throw it as far as he could.  Randy would take off on the snap straight down field, with the test being to see if Tom could overthrow Randy.  Rarely could the ball escape Moss' grasp.  Point being, as with Randy Moss, the pro level of soccer has such athletes (think of Donovan, Wolcott, Sneijder, Ribery, etc) that it is nearly impossible to hit a conventional pass hard enough to escape those wingers and forwards.

    A few players to watch who are masters at hitting this sort of ball, and who have teammates who make it work, are Modric (Tottenham...passing to Adebayor, Essou-Ekoto, Bale...), Xavi (Barcelona...passing to Thiago, Pedro, Iniesta, Villa-Injured-, Messi, and on and on...) Arteta and Wilshere (Arsenal...Wolcott, Gervinho, RVP, Arsharvin...).  Pirlo in Italy does the same.  I'm very high on Modric right now, though it is true to say that most of the top-flight center mids can play this sort of ball effectively.  The takeaway is that, simply, great passing skill is made by great running skill.  The game simply does not allow for one player to make the game, there must be true teamwork and timing for success.  Young players must learn to run to good spaces, with good timing, and, as uncomfortable as it may be, with all necessary speed, if the young players they train with are to learn to be good passers.

The other unifying factor these players all share is that once they start to run, they carry on until the play either comes to them, or the passer hits it elsewhere; there's no stopping and starting.  If the timing is off, and the runner is called for offside, so be it.  A couple offside calls are worth it if once or twice they can get in on goal.