Passing Speeds
Posted on March 12, 2014 by Admin By John Cartwright

As I have said so often ..….. “our game is played from first to last whistle at a fast and furious pace”. All aspects of play tend towards speed and aggression with guile and gentility as limited features. This tendency towards a ‘hurry-up’ game –style is most obvious with passing the ball where refinement and style is excluded in favour of ‘bash the ball’ methods. Our tactical preference of longer types of passing often creates too much distance between back, middle and forward positions causing a lack of closer support situations. When passing the ball over all distances and in most situations we use speed/fast rather than slow/soft as a preferred method of delivery. The result so often is loss of possession followed by a renewed ‘fight’ to recover the ball…. only to give it away cheaply again…..and so our inglorious game ‘battles’ on.

Short/slower passes are preferred to long/faster ones in football in most other countries around the world where their game-styles and formations are tactically more concentrated and game’s tend to be played with more variation in tempo. Careful delivery of the ball is an integral part of the game abroad and consequently, there is more emphasis on ‘feel and touch’ when passing it; the ball is rolled, not ‘hit’ and more consideration is given to passes that satisfy game situations and benefits receiving players. When it is necessary to add more speed to a pass over short or longer distances suitable adjustments are made in the foreign game making it less predictable than the more direct game-style seen too often here.

We find it difficult to play with variations in tempo and this becomes most obvious when the ball is played forward. Passes from back areas into midfield or front areas, or from midfield into front areas are delivered with too much unnecessary speed making control difficult for receiving players who are usually under pressure from tight marking defenders. Instead of a receiving player being able to control the ball and use it with ease we find that undue passing speed is a primary reason for lost possession. Generally, it is the receiving player who is criticised for poor play when in fact the deliverer of the pass is largely at fault. We must acknowledge the fact that being able to deliver more passes accurately and effectively into forward positions creates more goal-scoring opportunities and therefore, more chances of winning games.

Even though there is a tentative effort to improve the preparatory part of our game across back areas the passing malaise remains and a faster before slower playing tempo continues to dominate when passes forward are made. The present focus on statistics regarding the number of passes made during games detracts from the more important issue of…. Penetrations…… achieved through the field from these preparatory passing sequences. For team possession to mean anything it must also contain both forward penetrative passes and runs with the ball; lack of either produces ‘chessboard football’ that few enjoy watching. From a young age our players should be introduced to passing speed variations over all distances and in all directions. I have seen very few coaches give advice to players at all levels regarding these important points. Touch on the ball to inject the correct speed is a skill that must be developed for all playing roles and positions and for all passing situations.

Passing is the ‘framework’ on which tactics is built, without quality passing skills any playing structure will fail.

http://keeptheball.wordpress.com/2014/03/12/passing-speeds/#more-1066

If passing to a player who you don't want to move on to a ball, a hard hit pass straight at him/her gives less chance of an intercept.

The KNVB pushed this.

bump

I dont think this is necessarilly true. YOu need to weight the pass properly of course, but too soft and too hard both have their drawbacks.

Intercepts are mostly caused by the receiver standing on his heels when he receives the ball. THe most important thing is for the receiver to run towards the ball (or space). That is what stops the interception. Usually, if the receiver is smart they will feint or push the marker just a little to throw them off balance and create more space for themself and allow them to put their body between the defender and the ball. This will stop the interception from occurring, even if the ball is passed poorly, especially if it is combined with a good first touch away from the defender and into space.

90 percent of intercepts are caused by players standing on the heels and not offering proper support, imo. I think this is equally as important as ball skills, believe it or not. Strangely enough, Soccer is actually a simple game. If players are supporting properly, it becomes very easy for good players (and lets face it, most professionals are pretty good) to play the simple and easy options.

The key to making the killer pass (which seems to be a buzzword) is not the person making the pass, but is the players making the run. Without this, it is literally impossible to make such runs.

Far bigger luminaries in the game than you or me are advocating the hard pass.

If the Dutch KNVB and Gombau are pushing this (if you look at the thread about Gombau's training sessions) him being a product of Barca Academy, then these are two of the top world coaching methodologies saying this.

If you look at any top side, look at how hard they pass the ball to a player when they pass it straight at the receiver, as opposed to weighting it when a player runs on to the ball to receive it. Weighting is paramount in the second instance, as Krones suggests.

It is probably a question of passing it has hard as the receiver can receive the ball comfortably, if the receiver is receiving it in a stationary position.