We had a new player at my football club recently and he asked the “best” “right” way to play the game and one constant phrase kept coming into my head and that was

“always play the right pass”!

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And that got me thinking “what is the right pass?”

• Is it the “clever pass”?

• Is it the “perfect pass”?

• Is it the “Glenn Hoddle pass”?

 

And, simply put, it’s not, but it could be!!

 

So, what defines the “right pass”?

In my opinion ( note - “my opinion”, not a fact!) it is;

• a pass to a person that allows your team to benefit by moving to the next phase of their attack

• a pass that’s reaches a team mate that allows them to progress

• a pass that doesn’t put a team mate, or your team, in trouble

• a pass that doesn’t go to a player JUST based on their “perceived” ability but on the player being best able to progress their team

• BUT MOST OF ALL IT’S A PASS THAT GETS TO A TEAM MATE 100% OF THE TIME!!

 

The benefits of playing the right pass

• It takes the pressure off the passer (they don’t HAVE to hit a difficult ball at all costs, it is a bonus)

• It allows your team to progress and be in control of the game

• It improves the team as a whole, not just one or two players, as players are forced to improve technical skills to receive the ball (these include calling for the ball, receiving skills and onward passing skills). The alternative is you go “all out” to pass to the “star player” and risk the pass not getting to that team mate (and it’s easier for defenders to mark one star player than 4-5 “perceived weaker players”!!)

• It actually helps the “star player” as the pressure is taken off them and they are less tightly marked!

 

The impact on you, as the passer?

• Your team keep the ball and you retain your positive perception as a team mate.

• Lose the ball and you become “public enemy number one” in the eyes of your team mates as they have to work harder to get the ball back with no chance of scoring (and scoring goals is the purpose of football in most people’s eyes!)

• If you make a “great pass and the intended recipient doesn’t move, is it still a “great pass”? It’s only a great pass if the receiver knows it’s coming, and positions/moves accordingly!

If you are lucky enough to be the “Glenn Hoddle” of walking football and can “ping” 40-50 yards passes at will you need to consider the following

• if you get past the defenders, is the receiving player able to control and use a ball that has had to travel long distances (and accordingly has had to be hit powerfully!)

• if you find the player who is so far away from you with a long pass, are they likely to have any support from team mates, so is it a great pass or are you simply “passing on the problem to another player”?

 

And remember, whether you play a long or short pass to a team mate, your first thought should be:

“How do I get involved again”

And simply put that is to communicate with the ball receiver and make yourself available for a return pass if possible!

 

Never, ever pass the ball to a team mate, just to pass on the responsibility or a problem, do it be cause it’s the “RIGHT THING TO DO”!!

 

FOOTNOTE

This information is for those players who want to improve

• their game

• their enjoyment of the game

• their team

 

But never, ever fail to focus on having fun and remember that the game is only too serious if you let it be!