Master your football techniques: Short Passes

Photo: Samuel Lim

During the FIFA 2018 World Cup, an average of 775.8 passes was made during each match. Inevitably, every footballer needs to master the skill of passing

Mastering the art of passing is one of the basics in football. Passing is an effective way of keeping possession in any match and should be the first skill set for any beginner to pick up when learning football.

There are mainly two types of passes - long passes and short passes. There are other varied terms like a long weighted pass or a short through pass, but they effectively fall under either of these two categories.

Objectives of short passing

Short passes are usually kept low to quickly get the ball to your teammates, reducing the risk of losing possession of the ball.

In this article, we will be giving 4 tips to help you master your basic short-pass. Understanding these 4 principles will ensure your short-passes are successful and accurate.

1. Body Posture

When making a short pass, approach the ball at a slight angle of about 30 degrees. As a rule of the thumb, your spine should be upright and you should be leaning into the pass just before you strike the ball.

2. Positioning

The position of your supporting foot (the on that does not kick the ball) is crucial as well. Place it around 15cm to the left of the ball (if you’re a right footer) vice versa for a left footer. The supporting foot should be pointing towards the target and it is also important to keep the ankles facing the target

3. Striking the ball

Turn your kicking foot outwards, bend your knee slightly, and lock your ankle as you make the pass. Use the inside of your foot to make contact with the centre of the ball as you bring your kicking foot through. Bend the supporting leg in front and the kicking leg next to it, this will make you more stable and your position more fluid to ensure you have maximum control of your short pass.

4. Following through

Continue to swing your kicking foot towards your target after it contacts the ball. Your follow through will determine how fast or powerful your short pass will be. For greater power in your pass (if your teammate is slightly further away), use a stronger follow through after contact has been made with the ball.

Practice makes Perfect

Let’s practice before we hit the pitch in our next friendly soccer match with our peers.

Now try this,

Position yourself 3m away from a wall. Kick the ball towards the wall so it returns directly to you. Continue this process to hone your skills and make sure the ball stays on the ground throughout this process.

After mastering the direct short pass, you can move on to long passes which are used in different situations in the game of football.

Types of Short Passes

Chip Pass

A chip pass refers to kicking the ball up in a long arc and is a technique used to pass the ball to your teammate over a defender who is in the way. When chipping a ball, the trick is to use your kicking foot as a wedge in order for you to angle your toe downward to kick the ball low. This technique will help increase the arc and backspin of the ball.

Wall Pass/One-Two Pass

The idea of this pass is to pass the ball to your teammate and quickly sprinting forward into space and receiving the ball back from them in one touch. It is ideal when the defender is playing closely towards you and you would like to exploit the space behind him.

Back Heel Pass

Want to take things to the next level? Or just trying to look fancy in your football game? You may want to try out the back heel pass in your upcoming soccer match. Using the back of your foot or heel in the game can cause plenty of difficulties especially amongst lesser skilled players because of its element of surprise. However, use it every once in a while and only when the time is right if not there might be a high chance of losing possession of the ball.

Interested in football and want to hone your skills with the best? Or perhaps you are a parent wishing to expose your child to the beautiful game?

 If your answer to either of the above is yes, then ActiveSG Football Academy is the place for you to be at. Led by former Singapore international Aleksandar Duric, and five head coaches with experience from the highest level of football in Singapore: Richard Bok, Robin Chitrakar, Hyrizan Jufri, Mohamad Hairil Amin, Isa Halim, and Steven Tan, ActiveSG Football Academy has a holistic football programme designed to build character and impart the right skills while encouraging trainees to pursue their sporting passion with the right attitude.

To find out more or sign up for the academy, visit this link here.

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