Passing Gates Warm-Up
Pairs move around an area full of small cone gates and score a point every time they pass through one. A warm-up with hundreds of passes.
- Age
- U7–Senior
- Players
- 6–20
- Duration
- 10 min
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Intensity
- Low
- Area
- 25 × 20 m
- Type
- Technical
- Approach
- Analytical
- Format
- Football-adapted game
- Objectives
- Technical: Passing, Receiving / first touch
Training diagram
Legend
- Attacker
- Pass
- Run without ball
- Dribble
- Ball
- Cone
Passing Gates gets the whole squad moving and passing from the first minute. Each pair has one ball and tries to pass through as many gates as possible, so players must look up, find a free gate, and time their run with their partner. It naturally builds from a gentle start to a high-tempo finish.
Objective
Warm up with the ball while practising accurate short passes, receiving on the move and scanning for space.
Organisation
- 25 × 20 m area (bigger for more than 16 players) with 8–10 gates of two cones 1.5 m apart.
- Players in pairs, one ball per pair.
- Place the gates at different angles so players must adjust their body shape.
How it works
- Pairs pass to each other through a gate: the ball must travel between the two cones.
- After each pass, both players move to a different gate — they cannot use the same gate twice in a row.
- Round 1 (2 min): free play, count the gates in 60 seconds.
- Round 2 (2 min): the receiver must control with one foot and pass with the other.
- Round 3 (2 min): one-touch passes only. Add dynamic stretches between rounds.
Coaching points
- Look up before receiving to find the next free gate.
- Receive across your body so the first touch sets up the next pass.
- Communicate: point or call to show your partner where you are going.
- Keep passes firm and on the ground; the partner should not have to stop the ball.
Progressions
- Add two 'guards' in bibs who stand in a gate to block it; they move every 10 seconds.
- Groups of three with one ball: pass through a gate to one player, who must play to the third through another gate.
Regressions
- Wider gates (2.5 m) and fewer players.
- Dribble through a gate first, then pass.
Variations
- Competition: the pair with the most gates in 60 seconds wins.
Key principles
- Scan, then move.
- Pass and move into space.
- Quality over speed at the start.
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