Skill: Passing and Receiving

Soccer is a team game. Passing and receiving are probably the most vital skills that a player can have. These skills help to link a team together and form the essence of teamwork. Poor passing and receiving skills will eventually lead to loss of possession and wastes scoring opportunities.

There are many different ways to pass and receive a ball. Here we are going to teach you how to pass and receive ground and lofted balls. This guide will be divided into two sections, one concerning ground balls and the other concerning lofted balls.

Passing Ground Balls

The three basic techniques of passing ground balls are: inside of foot, outside of foot and the instep pass. Which technique you choose to use will depend on the situation you are in.

Inside-of-Foot Pass

This basic passing skill is commonly called the push pass. This is usually used to cover a distance of 3 to 13 metres. These are the steps:

  1. Face your target.
  2. Approach the ball and plant your balance foot beside the ball.
  3. Position kicking foot after swinging your foot back.
  4. Swing kicking foot forward and contact the centre of the ball with the inside surface of your foot.
  5. Use momentum to push the ball forward.
  6. Have a smooth follow-through.

Outside-of-Foot Pass

This passing technique is usually employed while you are dribbling and want to pass the ball diagonally. This pass is more deceptive and less predictable.

  1. Face your target.
  2. Approach the ball and plant your balance foot behind and to the side of the ball.
  3. Bend kicking foot back at the knee.
  4. Snap the foot inside out with your foot rotated slightly inwards.
  5. Contact the ball with the outside surface of your foot.
  6. For longer passes use a complete follow-through.

Instep Pass

The instep pass is used to cover a distance of 20 metres or greater. The 'instep' is the portion of your foot covered by your shoelaces. It is used as a hard and flat surface to hit the ball with power and accuracy.

  1. Approach the ball at a slight angle.
  2. Place your non-kicking foot beside the ball.
  3. Kick the ball, and allow your leg to continue moving upwards, even after you have kicked the ball.

This is called the follow-through and it provides more power to your shot. When you limit your follow-through, you force your leg to stop after the ball flies. This movement cannot be precisely calculated and often the result is a rather weak shot.

Receiving Ground Balls

Depending on the situation, you have a choice of using either your inside or outside of foot to receive the ball. In both instances, you must withdraw the receiving surface as the ball hits to cushion the impact. Failure in cushioning the ball will result in it bouncing away from you to another.

Inside-of-Foot Reception

  1. Align yourself to the incoming ball.
  2. Extend your receiving foot to meet the ball.
  3. Your receiving foot must be positioned sideways.
  4. Receive the ball with the inside of the foot.
  5. Withdraw slightly to cushion impact.

There is no need to stop the ball completely as it wastes time. Instead, direct it to the direction of your movement.

Outside-of-Foot Reception

This technique is usually used when there is an opponent nearby as you cannot use the technique above.

  1. Position yourself sideways to the ball.
  2. Preferably with your body between the opponent and the ball.
  3. Receive the ball with foot farthest from opponent.
  4. Withdraw slightly to cushion impact

Passing Lofted Balls

Sometimes a lofted pass can be a better choice than a ground pass as the may be a defender in your way. Hence you may decide to chip the ball over him to your teammate. The two basic techniques are the long chip and the short chip.

Short Chip Pass

  1. Approach ball from behind at an angle.
  2. Plant balance foot beside the ball.
  3. Draw back kicking foot.
  4. Drive it beneath the ball, contacting it below the midline with a snaplike kicking motion.
  5. Follow-through must be kept minimal.

Long Chip Pass

  1. Approach ball from behind at an angle.
  2. Plant balance foot behind and to the side of the ball.
  3. Extend kicking foot.
  4. Drive your instep through the lower part of the ball.
  5. Lean back as you contact the ball.
  6. Complete follow through.

Receiving Lofted Balls

The four body surfaces commonly used to receive a lofted ball are the instep, chest, thigh and head. Again, the choice depends on the trajectory of the ball.

Instep

The instep is used for receiving a ball dropping from above.

  1. Anticipate where the ball will fall.
  2. Move to the position.
  3. Raise your receiving foot.
  4. As the ball contacts, withdraw your foot to the ground to cushion the impact.

Thigh

The thigh is an alternative to receiving a dropping ball. It is normally used when under pressure from an opponent.

  1. Anticipate where the ball will fall.
  2. Move to the position.
  3. Raise receiving leg so the thigh is parallel to the ground.
  4. Flex balance leg slightly at knee.
  5. Receive the ball on your thigh and withdraw immediately.
  6. The ball should drop softly to the ground around your feet.

Chest

  1. Face the oncoming ball.
  2. Arch your upper body slightly backward.
  3. Receive ball on the central area of your chest.
  4. Withdraw your upper body as the ball arrives to cushion impact.

Women are allowed to cross their arms against their chests to receive such balls. However many do not usually do so.

Head

  1. Position under dropping ball.
  2. Jump upward with both feet.
  3. Angle head backward.
  4. Contact the ball on your forehead at the highest point of your jump.
  5. The ball should bounce off slightly to land near your feet.