Progression 1 - Technique

The coach or players can change the size of the gates, either making all bigger, all smaller or a mixture to ensure all players are challenged (differentiation). Coaches can encourage players to increase the distance between the 2 players when the pass is made through the gates. Players can be tasked with passing the ball using different techniques – inside/outside of the foot, driven pass, chip pass. Players can be challenged to pass the ball through more than one gate at a time unopposed.

Progression 2  - Skills

Add in passive defenders to ‘block’ the clear path through a gate, challenging the decision making of the player making the pass. The number of defenders should be less than the total number of gates in order to encourage movement from the defenders. Defenders take up a opposed role becoming more active, allowing them to actually prevent the pass through the gate. If they do, they can swap with whoever made the pass.

Space

• Change the size of the gates or playing area
• Changing the space between gates
• Changing the space between players (distance)

Task

• Receive with one foot, pass with other
• Receive with inside of foot take across the body and pass with outside of foot
• Play one short pass and one long pass

Equipment

• Use different coloured cones for each gate – pass through a specific coloured gate

People

• Adding defenders to act as gate blockers – both passive and active

Speed

• One pass at each gate – how many gates can each pair do in a given time?