Step 1: How to Pass a Soccer Ball

Introduction

Passing the ball means kicking it to your teammate. Along with dribbling, passing is one of the most important skills in soccer as it occurs very frequently throughout the game. By passing the ball, a team rotates the possession among its teammates.

A pass can either be grounded or aerial. It can be short or long. Depending on the situation, different types of passes are executed. However, the short grounded pass is the one which is used most frequently as it is easy to execute and receive.

Technique

The most basic technique employed in passing the ball is using the inner side of the foot, as shown in the picture. The area marked by the red circle shows the surface where you should make contact with the ball while passing. This is because the large surface area of the side of the foot makes it easier to get a full contact on the ball and hence deliver the pass accurately. Accuracy is the key in passing , as a misplaced pass can give away the possession to the opponents. Also, remember to follow through. Following through means that once you have kicked the ball, let your kicking foot continue to move in the same direction for a fraction of a second. Do not just touch the ball and stop the movement of your foot. This improves the accuracy and makes for a steady pass.

Here is a video by LiveStrong that explains how to pass a soccer ball.

How to Practice

You can either use a wall or any object that will rebound the ball towards you once you kick at it. You can practice this passing drill with a friend, but since this guide is focuses on individual practice, we would recommend you practice using a wall or some kind of barrier like a garage, fence, etc.

Here is what you do -

1. Kick the ball with your inner side foot (as shown above), so that the ball hits the wall and comes back to you.
2. Now with your other foot, touch the incoming ball, stop it and kick it again.
3. Repeat this process
4. Try to improve your accuracy by making sure that you do not have to move much to receive your rebounded pass.
5. Once you are comfortable using your inner side foot, try using your outer side foot to make contact with the ball.
6. As you get better, try reducing the distance between you and the wall. This would increase the difficulty level as you would get lesser time to react.

Here is a video by ExpertVillage that shows how to practice passing soccer drills using a wall.

Important Tip : Use both your feet to practice this drill. Using your dominant foot might be easier but not utilizing your weaker foot can have negative consequences in your overall game. Always use both your feet to practice any soccer drill.

Practice Objective

You should continue practicing this drill till you naturally feel comfortable using both your feet to make a pass. One hint that you are comfortable doing this drill is when you are naturally able to practice without having the need to look at the ball. If you find you are able to keep your head up and make more than 10 continuous passes using both feet (in all 20 passes), then you have achieved your objective.