Passing (association football)

Passing the ball is a key part of association football. The purpose of passing is to keep possession of the ball by maneuvering it on the ground between different players and to advance it up the playing field.

This brings an advantage in that the team secures possession of the ball, without allowing the opposition an opportunity to attack. The skill of dribbling the ball is seen much less in modern football matches than in the first half of the twentieth century. This observation is often noted with regret by fans of the game who were familiar with older styles.

It is good to approach the ball at around 30 degrees. Turn the foot you are going to make the pass with outwards and lock the ankle so it is strong on contact with the ball. Bend the knee of your passing leg slightly so the foot is in the correct position to pass. With your standing foot about hip-width away from the ball, bring your kicking foot through and strike the middle of the ball with the inside of your foot. The aim of a short pass is generally to keep the ball low, thus making it easier for a teammate to control.

For increased power, follow through with the kicking leg. This will also help to increase the accuracy of the pass. It is good to hold the arms out from the body, to improve balance.

The aim of a long pass is to switch play or find a teammate in space. A long pass is generally more attacking than a short pass, but this can depend on where you are on the field. If you want to drive your pass, approach the ball at a 30-degree angle so there is room to swing your kicking leg through. Use your arms for balance, position your non-kicking foot close to the side of the ball, and keep your eyes on the ball. If you want to keep the ball low you must keep the knee of your kicking foot over the ball and not lean back as you strike the centre of the ball with your laces, following through. If you want increased power and height, hit the ball near the bottom, lean back further and follow through the ball more. Ideally you do not want the ball to bounce before it reaches a teammate as a bouncing ball is harder to control and can hold up an attack.

In 1581 Richard Mulcaster is the first describe "foteball" teams consisting of players using different positions ("standings"), although passing is not stated explicitly. The first specific reference to player to player passing ("dealing")in football-like ball of Cornish hurling. There are two other early allusions to passing the ball, but in each it is more likely that the ball is being kicked between members of opposing teams. David Wedderburn in 1633 suggests that his students might want to use the Latin words literally meaning "strike (percute) it here" and "strike it again (or back)". Similarly, in 1650 English puritan Richard Baxter in his book Everlasting Rest: "like a Football in the midst of a crowd of Boys, tost about in contention from one to another". This is also alluded to in a poem of c1624 by Edmund Waller referring to a football team working together towards "victory": "a sort [i.e. company] of lusty shepherds try their force at football, care of victory... They ply their feet, and still the restless ball, Toss'd to and fro, is urged by them all." The last line suggests that playing as a team emerged much earlier in English football than previously thought.

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