How to Teach the Wall Pass in Soccer

Perhaps no offensive soccer tactic depends as much on eye contact and nonverbal communication as the wall pass, also called the give-and-go, or the one-two pass. A wall pass travels from the ball handler to a teammate and back to the original ball handler, who has by then sprinted past the defender. With practice, you can coach your players on how to provide a modest emulation of midfielders Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta of Barcelona and World Cup champion Spain.

Things You'll Need

  • Plastic cone
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Explain to the players that the goal of the wall pass is to get around a defender by using rapid changes of position. Ask the players to work on their rhythm to execute the pass effectively. Note they must initiate the move by making eye contact with a teammate, or by calling out a phrase such as "one time," making the pass and moving swiftly.

    • 2

      Set up a cone with one player waiting alongside it, and two lines of two players each to practice a basic wall passing drill. Have the first player in one of the lines dribble forward, pass to the player by the cone, accelerate around the cone and receive the ball back with one touch. The first player passes to the first player in the second line, who heads back toward the cone and performs another wall pass with the player by the cone. Players continue to do wall passes and return to the back of the far line, occasionally alternating which player stands by the cone to serve as the "wall."

    • 3

      Set up a wall pass shooting drill in the offensive third of the field. Play one defender against three players on offense. The ball handler must pass to one of two teammates as targets, then move into open space for a return pass and shot. Add a goalkeeper to increase the defensive pressure.

    • 4

      Practice eye contact by placing 10 players in the penalty area, five of whom have a ball. Have players with the ball dribble randomly within the area. When a pair of players establishes eye contact, the player with the ball makes a wall pass to a player without the ball. After several minutes, switch the roles of players with and without the ball.