Equipment Needed
- Several balls
- Full or three-quarter field
Keep the diagonals coming
A multi-pack of training balls keeps long-diagonal switch reps flowing without a long recovery jog after every ball.
Shop Soccer Balls on Amazon As an Amazon Associate, FreeCoachingDrills.com earns from qualifying purchases.Setup
- Set up a possession scenario across a wide area with players on both flanks.
- Designate a target making a run in behind on the far side.
Instructions
- The team builds possession on one side, drawing the defense across.
- At the right moment, a player strikes a long diagonal ball to the space in behind the far-side defender.
- The target times a run to arrive as the ball does, taking the first touch forward.
- Finish the sequence with a cross or shot depending on the position reached.
Coaching Points
- This pass is played into space, not to feet — the timing of the run matters as much as the pass itself.
- The passer needs to disguise the intention until the last moment to prevent the defense from adjusting.
- Weight and trajectory should die down for the receiver, not bounce awkwardly on arrival.
- This only works when the ball-side buildup genuinely draws defenders across — rushing the switch too early wastes the space.
Variation
Add a recovering defender to chase the run and test the timing under real pressure, or restrict the receiving player to a first-time cross to raise the difficulty.