Passing Warm-ups

Y Passing Drill

The Y passing drill puts a short combination into a fixed shape: a pass into a central player, a lay-off back, a pass out wide, and a return into the central player as they spin away. It's the pattern behind a lot of the wall passes and third-man runs your team makes in games, rehearsed without pressure.

AgesU8 to adult
Players5 to 8
Space30 × 20 m
Time10 min
IntensityMedium

Animate it in DrawTactics

Because the order never changes, players can concentrate on the quality of each pass, the timing of their movement and their body shape on the ball. It works as a warm-up for a session on combination play or building through midfield.

Setup

Lay out four cones in a Y shape over a 30 × 20 m area: one at the base, one in the middle, and two at the top, one on each side. Put 6 players on it: 3 in a queue at the base with the ball, 1 at the middle cone and 1 at each top cone. Each turn goes to alternate sides, and everyone moves on one spot: the passer takes the middle cone, the middle player runs to the wide cone they played to, and the wide player passes back to the start and joins the queue.

Equipment4 cones or discs, 1 ball (2 if running from both ends)

How it works

The first player at the base passes into the middle player and follows up toward them.
The middle player lays the ball straight back off one touch.
The base player plays it out to the left-hand top cone, then takes over the middle cone as the middle player runs out toward the left, and the next player steps up to the base.
The left-hand player passes back to the new starter at the base and jogs to the back of the queue, while the old middle player takes the left cone.
The new starter passes into the new middle player and follows up.
The middle player lays it back off one touch.
This time the starter plays it out to the right-hand cone and takes the middle, and the middle player runs out toward the right.

Diagram of the y passing drill with every pass and run — Every step of the drill on one diagram.

Coaching points

Check away from your cone before you show for the ball
Lay-offs with the inside of the foot, firm and along the ground
Look up for the wide pass before the lay-off arrives
Move on one cone straight after your pass
Time the spin: go as the wide pass is struck, not before

Make it harder

Run the pattern from both ends at once
Two-touch, then one-touch for every player
The wide player finishes on a goal

Make it easier

Make the distances shorter
Take a touch before each pass
Walk the pattern through once without a ball

Adapting it by age

U8–U10

Shrink the Y to about 20 × 15 m, allow two touches every time, and only go to one side until the order is clear.

U12–U14

Use the full 30 × 20 m, two touches on the first pass and one on the lay-off, and switch sides every few turns.

U15 to adult

Make it 35 m long, one touch throughout, run it from both ends at once and finish with a shot from the top of the Y.

Common mistakes

The middle player stands on the cone and waits, so the lay-off is played from a standstill. Have them start two steps to one side and check across to the cone as the base player takes their first touch.

The lay-off bobbles or pops up, and the wide pass is a scramble. Ask for a locked ankle and contact through the middle of the ball, and drop the distance until it's clean.

Players forget where to go next and the rotation stalls. Say it once before you start: you go where you pass. Then let them sort it out without stopping the drill.

FAQ

What does the Y passing drill teach?
Combination play: a wall pass, a pass wide and a third-man run in one sequence, along with checking away before receiving.

How many players do you need for Y passing?
Five is the minimum, one on each cone with two at the base. Six to eight keeps it moving; with more, set up a second Y.

Make this drill your own

Open the y passing drill in DrawTactics to change the numbers and the size of the area, move the players, and export your own animation or diagram for your team. Or add it to a free session plan and print it.

Animate it in DrawTactics