Learn the chip pass in football: instep under the ball, dosing the length, timing and offside – with a DFB session, passing study and milestones.
The honest answer up front: A chip pass is a short, high ball that you play by pulling the instep under the ball so that it flies over a nearby opponent and drops to the ground shortly behind him [1]. It is not a long drawn-out instep kick, but a fine, gentle pass [1].
The DFB calls chip balls a tried and tested means of escaping pressing situations [1]. That fits what stands out in analyses from the Bundesliga: passes from midfield into the attacking area were on average most effective – measured by how many defenders lie between ball and goal and how much space you control [2]. The chip is one of the passes with which you bypass exactly such an opponent.
To tell them apart: the chip pass is a delivery to a team-mate. The lob is a finish over the goalkeeper, and the flat through ball runs along the ground. All three aim to bypass an opponent, only the flight path differs (practical classification, not a study finding).
Ball still in front of you. Pull the instep under the ball without a long backswing [1]. The movement is short and stabbing; the ball should rise steeply. Follow-through stays small (practice, not a study finding).
Milestone: 8 out of 10 balls fly over a 50 cm hurdle at 3 m distance.
A chip ball should drop to the ground shortly behind the opponents, unlike long instep kicks [1]. Too far and it is gone, too short and it drops onto the opponent. Practise with a hurdle and a target zone behind it.
Milestone: 6 out of 10 balls land in a 3 m deep target zone behind the hurdle.
In the DFB session A passes to B, who lets the ball bounce back; A then takes it briefly into his stride and plays the chip to C behind the poles [1]. This is exactly how chips arise in games: after a short carry, not from standing.
Milestone: 6 out of 10 runs with carry and clean chip.
B puts A under slight pressure after letting the ball bounce back so he does not have much time [1]. That raises the tempo and demands a clean, short technique.
Milestone: 5 out of 10 successful with a partner who closes in from 2 m.
The receiver must not start behind the line too early or he is offside [1]. Offside is judged at the moment the ball is played: if at that moment any part of his head, body or feet is nearer the opponents' goal line than both the ball and the second-last opponent (hands and arms do not count), he is in an offside position; it becomes an offence if he then becomes involved in play [3]. So start with the pass, not before.
Milestone: 5 chips behind the poles where the runner starts on time.
With the chip the foot is often close to the ground and the opponent. A player who uses the foot while trying to play the ball in a way that endangers someone plays in a dangerous manner [4]. So practise without opponents first. Warm up beforehand with a programme like FIFA 11+, which cut the injury rate by 39% in a meta-analysis [5]. This guide explains and motivates; it does not replace supervised training.
Make the chip a connector: the DFB session has a small tactical follow-up action after the chip, such as a 2-v-1 with a finish. Accordingly the receiver's ball control must be purposeful [1]. Your chip is only good if the receiver can do something with it. Also practise it with both feet: in games it often comes with the foot that happens to be free, not with the favourite foot (practical experience).
You pull the instep under the ball with a short movement so the ball rises steeply and drops shortly behind the opponent [1]. How much you follow through is practical experience; we have no study on it.
When a flat pass would be blocked or you want to escape a pressing situation [1]. It bypasses a nearby opponent without you having to dribble him.
According to the DFB the chip drops to the ground shortly behind the opponents, unlike long drawn-out instep kicks [1].
Yes. If at the moment the ball is played he is nearer the goal line than the ball and the second-last opponent and then becomes involved in play, it is offside. Only directly from a goal kick, throw-in or corner kick is there no offside [3].
It belongs more to the intermediate level. You need secure basic technique and a feel for length before using it in games.
Learning the Through Ball: Playing into the Space Behind the Defence – Without Offside