Five-cone star passing: follow your pass
Five cones forming a star. The ball is always passed to the player two cones away, drawing the star, and every passer follows their pass. A passing warm-up that ends with two or three balls circulating at once.
Step 1Salta un cono
1 / 3
El 1 pasa al 3 (dos conos más allá) y sigue su pase.
Objective
Low, well-weighted passes to the correct foot, a first touch oriented towards the next pass and communication (voice, gesture and eye contact) before receiving.
Organisation
Five cones spread evenly on a pentagon 15-20 m across; the path of the ball draws a five-point star. Minimum six players: one at each cone and the rest lined up behind the starting cone. One ball to begin.
Development
- 1The player at the starting cone passes to the teammate two cones away clockwise (skipping the adjacent cone) and follows the pass to line up behind them.
- 2The receiver takes an oriented first touch towards the next point of the star and passes with the second touch to the player two cones away, then follows the pass too.
- 3Repeat until the star is completed back at the starting cone; a player arriving at an occupied cone joins the back.
- 4Once the pattern flows, introduce a second ball from the opposite cone and, if the group can handle it, a third.
- 5Three-minute rounds; then restart from cone B to reverse the direction and work with the other foot.
Coaching points4
- Accurate, correctly weighted pass: low, to the far foot, with a locked ankle.
- The first touch sets up the next pass: receive with the foot that opens the body towards the target cone.
- Announce the pass: name, gesture and eye contact before striking.
- Build the tempo gradually to hard, fast passing without losing accuracy.
Common mistakes3
- Passing to the adjacent cone instead of skipping one, breaking the star.
- Receiving square to the passer and needing an extra touch to turn.
- Jogging after the pass and arriving late at the next cone when several balls are in play.
Variations3
- Limit to one touch once the tempo is stable.
- Star with a finish: the player receiving at the top point controls, dribbles, feints past a passive defender and shoots; rotation keeper-defender-shooter.
- The passer follows in a straight line and applies passive pressure on the receiver.
Progressions2
- Two and three balls at once with groups of 10-15 players.
- The receiver must take the touch across the body (receive left, play right).
Regressions2
- Shrink the pentagon to 10-12 m and allow free touches.
- One ball and pass-and-follow to the adjacent cone before introducing the skipped cone.
Tips
- Number or colour the cones so young players quickly see who to pass to.
- The smaller the star, the higher the intensity: size it to the objective.